Stale Green Lights

If you’ve ever found yourself approaching a green light that suddenly turned yellow at the last minute, you’ve encountered what is known as a “stale green light.” These are tricky situations: while speeding up through a yellow light can be risky because there is a chance you could enter the intersection after the light turns red, slowing down in time to stop before the intersection is often not an option at the last second. Running a red light is not only dangerous, but if it results in an accident, the driver will likely be at fault.

Traffic laws and car accident liability are different in every state. If you have questions about stale green lights or what to do after a car accident, talk to an experienced car accident lawyer in your state.

What Is a Stale Green Light?

A stale green light is a term for a green traffic light that has been green for a while, particularly if the driver has been in view of the light from a distance. A “fresh green light,” by contrast, is a green light that the driver sees change from red to green.

With a stale green traffic light, the driver generally has no idea when the light will turn yellow (and then red). Safe driving requires drivers to pay attention to the road ahead and watch a stale green light for any change and immediately respond by slowing down if the driver cannot safely make the light before it turns red.

How Long Is a Yellow Light?

One of the problems with trying to speed through a yellow light is that yellow lights have different durations before turning red. According to the Federal Highway Administration’s Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, the “yellow change interval” should be between three and six seconds. This seems like a narrow range, but even a difference of three seconds can make a big difference when traveling at vehicle speeds.

If you don’t know how long the yellow light changes will be, it is dangerous to try and speed through a yellow light instead of safely coming to a full stop before the intersection.

Estimating Safe Stopping Distance on a Stale Green Light

Watching a stale green light is important because drivers have to know how much distance and time they may need to safely stop the vehicle. Braking distance before a red traffic light can depend on many factors, including the weight or speed of the vehicle, road conditions, and the tread on the tires. Because the longer you watch a green light remain green, the more likely it is to turn yellow or even red by the time you pass the intersection, it is wise to anticipate braking if you have noticed a stale green light.

Traffic Light Laws

Running a stop light can be a reason for a driver to get pulled over by the police and issued a ticket. Entering an intersection when the light has turned red is a violation. Even if you are turning right on a red light, the law generally requires the driver to treat a legal right turn on red like a stop sign. In other words, even drivers turning right must come to a complete stop at the stop line or crosswalk and allow pedestrians to cross. Furthermore, failing to stop completely before a right turn on a red light runs the risk of hitting crossing pedestrians.

Traffic laws are different in every state, including rules about taking U-turns, taking left-turns on a one-way street, and what to do at “uncontrolled intersections” (where there are no traffic lights, road markings or other signs indicating the right of way). But states generally do not carve out exceptions for running a stale green light.

For example, in California, under the California Vehicle Code: “[A] driver facing a steady circular yellow or yellow arrow signal is, by that signal, warned that the related green movement is ending or that a red indication will be shown immediately thereafter.”

According to Florida law, traffic facing a steady yellow signal is warned that the green light is being terminated or that a red light is coming immediately thereafter when vehicular traffic shall not enter the intersection.”

These laws may be worded slightly differently, but what they have in common is the notion that drivers should be alert and sufficiently warned by whatever duration of yellow light happens to play out in their particular circumstance.

Collisions and Accidents After a Stale Green Light

When a stale traffic signal turns yellow, continuing through the intersection can be a dangerous decision. If the driver passes the point of no return and enters oncoming traffic after the light turns red, it can cause an accident. If anyone is injured in the accident, they may be able to file a personal injury claim against the driver who ran the light. Consider speaking with a personal injury attorney in your state to determine your best course of action.