If you drive often, you’ll probably see motorists engaging in dangerous behaviors. You might obey all traffic laws and drive defensively, but that doesn’t mean everyone else will follow your example.
You take a risk every time you get behind the wheel. However, most people feel that they need to own a vehicle, since it gets you to work, to the grocery store, and everywhere else you need to go.
You might see other drivers speed, tailgate vehicles ahead of them, or talk on their cell phones while driving. That’s all dangerous, but in the following article, we’re going to focus on running red lights, another potentially lethal activity. Running red lights endangers you and other motorists, and it’s something you should always avoid.
Let us talk about why people run red lights and the possible results.
Most people know that if they approach an intersection with a traffic light, if the light turns yellow, they can still go. In general, if you think that you can make it through the intersection on the yellow light before it turns red, then you’re okay hitting the gas rather than the brakes when you approach.
If you approach an intersection with the light turning from yellow to red, though, then you should stop. If you go, then you might make it, and you may not.
If you press down on the gas when approaching an intersection with a yellow light that’s turning red, you might hurry through the intersection and get across with some people honking their horns at you, but otherwise, no harm occurring. However, you might also have a situation where a driver on either side of you steps on the gas the moment they have the green light.
If that happens, they can hit you before they realize they do not have a clear intersection ahead of them. If they’re not paying close attention because they’re talking on their smartphone, changing to a different radio station, or talking to one of their passengers, then they might strike your vehicle.
If that happens, you’re probably getting the worst end of it. Remember that in this scenario, you’re not hitting another driver. They’re impacting your vehicle instead.
You also have some people who will recklessly go forward on a yellow light, regardless of whether they believe they can clear the intersection in time or not. Such people fall into the reckless driver category.
That’s the opposite of driving defensively. Some individuals might drive that way because they have road rage issues. Others simply don’t respect society’s conventions.
You never know when you might run into such a person. If you encounter them on the road, though, it’s best that you try to stay well clear of them.
If you see someone acting aggressively on the road, such as speeding up with a light turning from yellow to red in an intersection, that’s probably a sign that you’re looking at someone dangerous or unhinged. If you honk at them, they might pull out a weapon.
You also frequently have drivers try to get through yellow lights before they turn red if they ingested alcohol before they got behind the wheel. That happens all the time in this country.
You might have someone who had a three-martini lunch. Maybe they’re coming back from a bar and they feel there’s minimal danger because they live nearby.
You might also encounter someone who didn’t drink alcohol, but they’re otherwise intoxicated. For instance, maybe this driver smoked marijuana or ate an edible. Marijuana now has legal status in many states, and some people don’t mind indulging and then driving.
If someone uses some other drug before driving, it might make them reckless. In that mental state, they may hardly think about hitting the gas when approaching a yellow light, even if they see that it’s turning red before they’re even into the intersection.
As for what might happen if you try to run through a yellow light at an intersection and it turns red before you make it through, you run the risk of causing an accident. If it happens, then maybe a driver pulls into the intersection from your left or right before you get clear. That’s when they might hit you from the side, causing a T-bone collision.
The term T-bone collision comes from the capital T shape that two cars make when one hits the other from either side of it. It’s one of the potentially deadly car accidents that can happen.
If a car hits your vehicle from either side, it can kill you or a passenger. It might seriously injure you instead. If a car slams into your vehicle door from the lefthand side, and they’ve built up a decent rate of speed, that can break bones or do even worse damage.
If someone T-bones your car, then that might also push it so that it smashes into a fire hydrant or storefront. They may also push your vehicle onto the sidewalk, where you might hit a pedestrian, cyclist, or someone’s pet.
Maybe you’ll get lucky and make it out of the intersection if you recklessly ran through a red light. However, you might attract some police attention.
The cops will likely pull you over and ticket you if you do that. They might give you a breathalyzer if they suspect you consumed alcohol as well.
You will likely pay a hefty fine for your violation of the law. You might even have a judge take away your license if you have some previous traffic-related offenses.
If you’re approaching a yellow light, try to stop if you feel you can’t make it through the intersection before it turns red. That’s defensive driving, and it can save your life and the lives of those around you.
