Have you ever sat at a red light and waited for awhile, but the light would not change? Now there is a law that allows you to stop, check for traffic, then go through that red light, within reason.
“A lot of these vehicles like your motorcycles, some of your smaller cars, they’re not heavy enough to trigger the sensor that’s many times underneath the road way,” said Logan Township Police Chief Tim Mercer. “So they will sit there for several light cycles until maybe another vehicle’s coming in the opposite direction, actually triggers that cycle to change into the green.”
The law is called “Ride on Red.” House Bill 950 was originally passed in March to include motorcycles, but was amended to include all vehicles. It went into effect September 18th.
“When a motorist approaches a red light, they still have to come to a complete stop, wait to see – and your question as to how long is enough time – you have to give it a reasonable amount of time,” Mercer said. “So a minute or two to see if it’s actually going to cycle through.”
Chief Mercer said there is a concern about accidents, but police will investigate, per usual, to check if the light was actually malfunctioning, as well as who had the right of way.
“It’s not meant to be a stop gap where you can come to a light and just ignore it,” Mercer stressed. “It’s designed again for those vehicles or those times when the light is actually malfunctioning, which does occur, for you to be able then to proceed through the light instead of sitting on minute and minute.”
Chief Mercer said if a motorist comes across a red light that appears to be malfunctioning, call 911 to let them know so officers or firefighters can check the light and direct traffic, if necessary.