Why don't traffic lights turn yellow after red?

[cgymike]

We all know they turn yellow after green expires but the most logical pattern is to momentarily turn yellow just as the red light is about to go green so for a moment you get red and yellow. This is the signal to take your foot off the brake and prepare to go.

Only a few countries have this.

Discuss!

[menRsexii]

this is interesting. ive never actually really thought about this but it makes sense!

[T-Rexx]

In America, we ignore the colors, anyway.

[USEDCAR]

I like how some countries how a count down for every color the light changes. I wish they would bring that over to America

[Beachguyj]

It's dangerous for people to have their foot on the pedal waiting for the green. In most major intersections there is a few seconds wait after the other side turns red and yours turns green to prevent accidents of people who run the yellow and red lights. People should be paying attentions. Especially in Florida when people are too polite or stupid to honk at an idiot who is stopped when the light turns green. If you are the first car at the light that is your responsibility to pay attention.

[secondmonkey]

In most major intersections there is a few seconds wait after the other side turns red and yours turns green to prevent accidents of people who run the yellow and red lights.

This. We have a bunch of friggin red light cameras here, and the green lights have obviously been shortened to increase revenue. Late at night they are so short you have to gun it the second it turns green, or you won't make it through the intersection. This is extremely dangerous, I've been nearly hit more than once.

[Telstra]

It's dangerous for people to have their foot on the pedal waiting for the green. In most major intersections there is a few seconds wait after the other side turns red and yours turns green to prevent accidents of people who run the yellow and red lights. People should be paying attentions. Especially in Florida when people are too polite or stupid to honk at an idiot who is stopped when the light turns green. If you are the first car at the light that is your responsibility to pay attention.

That make sense therefore say no to yellow to green.

[AlmondMilk]

I hate it when the light JUST turns green and already someone behind or two cars behind starts honking at you. Usually when this happens I only move a few hundred feet before I'm waiting behind traffic again. I think yellow to green would be nice. But we're so used to going from red to green. I don't think the change will go well with most people. They don't like change

[freefall]

It always goes yellow after green or red here

[cgymike]

It always goes yellow after green or red here

Yes and are accidents reduced with this or are people just used to it. The point is the bright yellow light should show when the green or red are still on and serve as a warning of light change. The system where the light goes yellow for a second or two is odd.

[Beachguyj]

That make sense therefore say no to yellow to green.

My parents and I almost died once on my birthday. We went out to buy me a gift and leaving the shopping center when the light turned green we start to go and an 18 wheeler trying to run the yellow screeched by and we missed it by inches. If we had the yellow to green and my father had taken off a second earlier we would all be dead.

[Laufey]

They do over here.

[Fritz-the-Cat]

I once thought about this.
It isn't really practical, though when I can, I do look at the lights on either side when waiting for a green.

[cgymike]

My parents and I almost died once on my birthday. We went out to buy me a gift and leaving the shopping center when the light turned green we start to go and an 18 wheeler trying to run the yellow screeched by and we missed it by inches. If we had the yellow to green and my father had taken off a second earlier we would all be dead.

Right and I maintain it is independent yellow light that is the problem. The yellow light should only be a warning not a light in itself and should show WITH the current light right before the change. Having it the North American way doesn't make sense.

[Laufey]

When it's yellow here it's still couple of seconds after it turned red on the other side.

It's really a "get ready" light so drivers go more smoothly when the green comes on.

[Beachguyj]

Right and I maintain it is independent yellow light that is the problem. The yellow light should only be a warning not a light in itself and should show WITH the current light right before the change. Having it the North American way doesn't make sense.

I can guess at what you mean but I don't get you.

Green light means go
yellow/amber means the green is about to turn red
red means stop.

That's all you need. It's worked for decades.

[figjam]

That make sense therefore say no to yellow to green.

Agree - it seems logical....

[Beachguyj]

An American invented the traffic light the right way, if you don't like it,,,,fuckallyall

[quasar]

...Only a few countries have this....

And the UK is one of them

[palbert]

The color is designed for uniformity and to aid the color-blind. Yellow after red would lead an American to believe the next color would be red, not green.

[trawler69]

In the UK there was once a campaign that said "Do not be an Amber Gambler" as accidents were caused by people jumping the amber as the lights were going to red. Here they go Green - Amber - Red - Red & Amber - Green. To remove the Red and Amber stage would just serve to slow down the pulling away stage. The light timing should avoid the problem of shooting the Amber as the lights goto green.

I recall an anecdote from the states about someone riding in a car in, say, New York and the driver drove over every red light and then screeched to a halt at a green one and, when questioned as to why, said " I might crash into my brother coming the other way"

[Laufey]

If you don't know that the light on the top is red and the light at the bottom is green... well then you shouldn't be driving.

[ravenstar]

Because they're no point slowing down - what the yellow/amber light indicates - when you've already stopped would be my guess.

[unloadonme]

In the UK there was once a campaign that said "Do not be an Amber Gambler" as accidents were caused by people jumping the amber as the lights were going to red. Here they go Green - Amber - Red - Red & Amber - Green. To remove the Red and Amber stage would just serve to slow down the pulling away stage. The light timing should avoid the problem of shooting the Amber as the lights go to green.

That's right. I think the idea is that the sequence of lights makes it clear whether the lights are changing from green to red or red to green. If you see an amber light on it's own, you know that the lights are turning to red and you have to stop. You never see an amber light on it's own before green.

[Spiff]

simply because the cross traffic is already stopped at their red light, so there is no need to give drivers advance notice to stop and give clearance.

[Beachguyj]

during a written driving test]
"Reverend Jim" Ignatowski: Pssssttt... what does the yellow light mean?
Bobby Wheeler: "Slow down."
"Reverend Jim" Ignatowski: What... does... the... yellow... light... mean?
Bobby Wheeler: "Slow down"!
"Reverend Jim" Ignatowski: Whaaaat... dooooeeees... theeeee... yeeeel-looowwww... liiiiight... meeeeaaan?

[Beachguyj]

- Yo' Mama's teeth are so yellow, when she smiles on the street, cars slow down.

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With a stop light, green means go and yellow means slow down. With a banana, however, it is quite the opposite.

[cgymike]

The color is designed for uniformity and to aid the color-blind. Yellow after red would lead an American to believe the next color would be red, not green.

Uniform??? It's hardly uniform is it? I mean the sequence of lights is messed up. At the risk of repetition why treat the transition from red to green and differently from that of green to red. But I do take someone's point about "it's been that way for decades" ...meaning if you change it now it will fuck everything up.

- - - Updated - - -

And the UK is one of them

Yes and America of course MUST be different....LOL

[cgymike]

Because they're no point slowing down - what the yellow/amber light indicates - when you've already stopped would be my guess.

Well amber means hurry up to most people anyway and a lot ENTER the intersection when the light is amber then speed across hoping the speed cams won't get them or the cops won't see...A single amber light may actually encourage unsafe driving at intersections where a lot of accidents happen!

[seven2go]

What's the point of a second yellow light?.......
The light stays red more than long enough to clear the intersection.

[LeicsDom]

We all know they turn yellow after green expires but the most logical pattern is to momentarily turn yellow just as the red light is about to go green so for a moment you get red and yellow. This is the signal to take your foot off the brake and prepare to go.

We already do. End of

[LeicsDom]

An American invented the traffic light the right way, if you don't like it,,,,fuckallyall

And of course you all drive on the wrong side of the road anyway

[LeicsDom]

In the UK there was once a campaign that said "Do not be an Amber Gambler" as accidents were caused by people jumping the amber as the lights were going to red. Here they go Green - Amber - Red - Red & Amber - Green. To remove the Red and Amber stage would just serve to slow down the pulling away stage. The light timing should avoid the problem of shooting the Amber as the lights goto green.

I believe the logic behind using the red + amber is to allow you to release your handbrake and be ready to pull away when the green light comes on

[seven2go]

HAND BRAKE?....... .......ya'll driving Model T's over there?.......

[cgymike]

What's the point of a second yellow light?.......
The light stays red more than long enough to clear the intersection.

then in that case what's the point of the first yellow light...the light stays green more than long enough to clear the intersection also..what's so complicated about dual lights?

[Beachguyj]

HAND BRAKE?....... .......ya'll driving Model T's over there?.......

He's tired because he has to get crank up the car in the front to get it started.

[seven2go]

then in that case what's the point of the first yellow light...the light stays green more than long enough to clear the intersection also..what's so complicated about dual lights?

Nothing is COMPLICATED......it's redundant without serving any useful purpose.
It's not as if the lights turn green the instant the others turn red.
Another yellow light is a dare to try running the light.......

[cgymike]

Nothing is COMPLICATED......it's redundant without serving any useful purpose.
It's not as if the lights turn green the instant the others turn red.
Another yellow light is a dare to try running the light.......

Then a yellow light is redundant because any fool can see the light go from green to red. LOL