ORLANDO, Fla. – News 6 traffic safety expert Trooper Steve Montiero answers viewer questions about the rules of the road every week, helping Orlando-area residents become better drivers by being better educated.
Bill, of Viera, asked, "Can I be given a ticket for traveling through an intersection on a yellow light and if I'm under the light it turns red?”
Trooper Steve said this has happened to the vast majority of drivers.
"You’re driving down the road, you enter the intersection on a yellow light, you look up and it turns red," he said. "Did you run the red light? No, you didn’t, but you probably could have avoided this by paying a little more attention."
The barrier about when drivers "run the red light" is the so-called stop bar, the white stripe parked at any side of an intersection.
[ASK TROOPER STEVE: Submit your traffic questions here]
"If your front tires have crossed the stop bar prior to the light turning red, then you have not run the light," Trooper Steve said. "If the light is red before crossing the stop bar, then you have run the light and could be subject to a pretty hefty fine"
Trooper Steve added that the yellow traffic signal is not a “speed up and hit the accelerator” indicator, but instead it's time to pay attention and slow down.
If you have a traffic question for Trooper Steve, submit it here.