On the Road Again

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Q: I have been driving for several years, however, I have always been curious as to the amber traffic signal. When am I allowed to drive through and when must I stop?

A: Throughout my many years of driving and in particular patrolling the streets of Toronto in police vehicles, I have seen many different driving tactics employed by drivers approaching a green signal as it turns to amber.

From instantaneous and rapid acceleration to speed through an intersection before the light turns red to those who skid to a stop - frequently creating a chain reaction of events behind them - drivers often react to amber lights as though an on-board emergency just occurred.

On average, an amber traffic signal stays illuminated for about four and a half seconds, so in most cases an attentive driver should be capable of bringing the vehicle to a safe stop or if unable to do so, proceed through with caution.

The law governing traffic signals is found within Section 144 of the Highway Traffic Act and Subsection 15 clearly states: 'Every driver approaching a traffic control signal showing a circular amber indication shall stop his or her vehicle if it is safe to do so otherwise he or she may proceed through with caution.' Admittedly, the wording of the law does not assist a motorist with making the decision as to whether to proceed or stop; it merely permits both choices given the circumstances. And I must admit there is no solid text-book answer.

Several years back, a justice of the peace was presiding over traffic court in North York. The defendant was presenting his case that he was so close to the intersection when the light turned to amber he simply could not stop his car safely and he felt he had no option but to proceed through on the amber light. The energetic young traffic officer on the other hand, testified the defendant's car was merely a few feet into the intersection when the light turned to red, so a traffic ticket was issued for disobeying the amber light. Faced with differing stories, the knowledgeable judge asked but one question of the defendant: "At any time while you were travelling through the intersection, did you see the light turn to red?"

The defendant responded he did.

"Then you had ample time to stop your car and I find you guilty as charged" was the reply from the judge.

From that moment, I used the learned judge's logic to solve the 'should I' or 'should I not' stop quandary.

So here's the best answer I can come up with to address this question. Upon approaching an intersection where the light changes from green to amber, instantly assess if the light will change to red as you travel through. If the answer in your mind is yes, regardless of the speed, there would under normal driving conditions, be sufficient time and distance to bring an ordinary vehicle to a safe stop.

If on the other hand the answer is no, then the driver would be justified to proceed through with caution.

Of course, a motorist would need to take their speed and the size of the intersection into consideration and the underlying principle may sound complicated and time consuming, however, I have learned over the years that most drivers already do this test in their minds subconsciously and instinctively, usually arriving at the right decision.

Typically those who accelerate through an intersection usually do so in order to avoid having to stop, perhaps in an effort to save some time and those who end up skidding their vehicle to a stop usually do so because of a lack of attention to the traffic lights that suddenly caught their eye.

In both instances, these drivers create a dangerous situation that can lead to a serious accident. On a final note, the fine for disobeying an amber light is $115 plus three demerit points.