It sounds like an April Fool’s Day prank but I can assure you, it’s real. Drivers in China have been told to treat a yellow traffic light the same as a red. Instead of yellow meaning a warning that red is coming and to stop if you can safely do so, they’re expected to stop immediately upon a yellow.
Added to that, penalties will double for running a light. Drivers are understandably confused about how they will possibly be able to figure out when the yellow is coming. It will either lead to a slew of rear-enders or everyone will just have to crawl along at 15 km/hr.
Violating the new regulation comes with a steep penalty. Drivers caught running a yellow or a red light will lose six points in their 12-point system. Do it twice, lose all 12 points and have to go to driver training and pass a new exam.
It just seems a little insane to expect people to stop dead the second they see what used to be the warning light. As a columnist with China’s state news agency wrote, “This new rule is against Newton’s first law of motion.”
Confusion, don’t see why? Upon encountering a yellow light, the rule is to slow down and be prepared to stop. Under this new rule they have simply removed the word “prepare” such that now upon encountering a yellow light you slow down and stop. Must be still hung over from New Years, simple enough to me.
It’s not simple at all. You are expected to stop as if it’s a red. Stop immediately. Yellow was always a warning light. Now it’s a stop light with no warning.
Encountering a yellow light yes you should stop, but if you are already in the intersection you can’t. Isn’t that the same as here?