Yellow Light Zone

There is a charge for failing to clear an intersection on an amber but is a very grey area and is seldom enforced. (has more to do with preventing gridlock in heavy traffic)

Cameras here are set to show that you had NOT entered the intersection before the light changed to red.

UMMV and every jurisdiction has slightly different offences.

Most (all?) intersections have a solid white line that denotes the begining of the intersection. If you have already crossed this line, be it under green or yellow, you are supposed to be considered as "in" the intersection and the camera shouldn't fire.

They usually want a picture of you crossing into the intersection (front tires crossing the line) under a red light and then another with you in the middle of the intersection with the red light.

I have noticed recently in the Phoenix metro area some of the intersections have red lines being painted inside all of the white crossing lines toward the inside of the intersection.

I think these new red lines might be markings for the camera, meaning if you are within the "red box" when the camera flashes, you are getting a citation.

I am not certain about the Yellow light question, but these red lines are certainly there for some form of demarcation.

Wouldn't the answer depend a lot on local and state laws where the camera is installed? Not every state has uniform laws the same as all the other states.

PT

I'm pretty sure in Illinois the law is you are guilty if you enter the intersection on red. You are not guilty if you are already in the intersection (yellow) when it turns red.

I once entered an intersection covered by a redlight camera. The light was yellow when I hit the middle of the intersection. The car in front of me came to a dead stop before completely clearing the intersection and the light turned red before I could continue. The camera fired. Fortunately, this occurred during the test phase or the redlight camera system in my town, so I never heard from the city.

What you'll find, at least in Texas, is that the cities are redefining what denotes an "intersection." According to state law, when approaching an intersection, you are supposed to stop behind the white "stop line". If the stop line is not defined, then you stop behind a marked crosswalk. If no crosswalk is present, then a marked or unmarked line which spans corner to corner of the intersection. Cities that have installed the cameras, create a city ordinance which defines the intersection as corner to corner regardless. The vendors then configure the cameras to catch "violators" at these lessened distances which greatly increases those accused of violating the red light. This new line of demarcation is typically a dotted line from corner to corner. There are some camera sites where there is not even a line specified, yet the imaginary line is still what is used for the violation.

The major vendors, like Redflex and ACS, use a radar device to gauge your speed, then calculates your speed with the distance to the intersection and determines that you will not be able to stop in time before the light turns red. So these calculations "could" be off, or even "programmed" to manipulate the lights to ensure the violations. The old way was to put sensors in the pavement a the intersection where you had to pass over them to set off the camera. Now...it's all calculated which CAN BE manipulated very easily.

So, even with this information, it does not mean that knowing this you still will not get a picture taken of your tail-end when clearly into the intersection as the light turns red. Many cities have been caught erroneously sending citations out to wrong people because they were "guessing" what one unclear number/letter was on the plates, rather than tossing the citation due to unclear evidence.

In the Dallas area, I frequently see the cameras going off when everyone at the intersection is completely stopped, or even when there is no one in the intersection at all.

The fact of the matter is, these cameras are set up for revenue and not for safety. It is not going to matter how careful you are, or anything else that you do, it is just a matter of time before you get caught in a situation where you end up with an unintended photo of your car. If you frequently pass thru an enforced intersection, statistically your odds increase with each pass.

If you live in Texas, do not forget that if you get a ticket, you can have a TRIAL BY JURY should you decided to fight the citation. Since it is a civil issue, and is only $75, I am not sure that the city would want to go to all the hassle of getting a jury to get your $75 from you. Do you?

supposedly you have a second or so AFTER the light turns red before the flash. But I would not trust that.

Huh? How does this make it more likely you will get a red light ticket. When going from corner to corner the box created is smallest than if you had crosswalks and/or stop lines, so there is LESS chance you will be in it that if the camera fires at anything that crosses the FIRST line of the crosswalk on red.

PT

In California if you are in the crosswalk area prior to the light changing to red, you are in the intersection and allowed to proceed through without the camera flashing, So if the line is moved up about 5 to 10 yds into the area where the camera shouldn’t flash, to the corner you would be more likely to get a ticket....

However, I don’t know if the camera fires if you stop in the crosswalk, but do not proceed the interesection, I do not believe it does…. If it does then your reasoning is correct…

I think...

Edit: It's kind of like making the strike zone smaller... You would be more likely to get a call strike....

Eh... ummmm... no. Smaller strike zone means less chance to get a strike. Big Strike zone, then pitches that should have been a ball are called strikes. Dig?

PT

It's like making a strike zone smaller then you are more likely to get a base on balls... Maybe... Or my head is starting to hurt....

What does baseball have to do with red-lights... Oh yeah when they don't want you to steal after getting walked because the ump made the strike zone smaller...