Many residents of Provo, Utah might agree that the longer the yellow light, the lower the chances that an auto accident will occur. Unfortunately, this is not necessarily the case; if drivers know they have more time to get through a yellow light, they will push the limit. According to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), raising the length of a yellow light might briefly reduce traffic violations, but it will not change the behavior of drivers.
Longer Yellow Lights
While people in Provo might think having longer yellow lights might seem like the best way to lower the risk of getting into an auto accident, this is just a short-term fix. Once drivers figure out that they have more time to get through the yellow light, accidents could actually increase — making work more hectic for even the best auto accident lawyer.
Traffic Cameras
FHWA studies have found that red-light violations decreased by 40 percent to 96 percent when safety cameras were installed in intersections. Having traffic cameras that record violations and give out tickets lowers the chance that drivers will risk of running a red light. For some reason, drivers take the chance of getting a ticket mailed to them more seriously than the chance of getting into an auto accident by running a yellow light.
Traffic Camera Exceptions
While traffic cameras are known to lower the amount of accidents, there has been one exception. The state of Georgia added traffic cameras, but simultaneously increased the time a light stays yellow by an additional second. Even with the addition of the cameras, red-light running fatalities increased over 50 percent in the first year — making life troublesome for every lawyer in the state.
The yellow light laws in Provo have not caused significantly more accidents than cities with different yellow light laws, but putting in traffic cameras would be something every lawyer would appreciate. Just remember the best way to avoid an auto accident in an intersection is to avoid running red lights in the first place.