What Do You Do If Traffic Lights Are Out?

Have you ever been driving and come to an intersection just to find that the traffic light is not working? If there’s a power outage, whether it’s due to a storm, down power lines, or even a burned up transformer, here’s what the New York State Department of Transportation says you should do.

When approaching a traffic signal that is dark, you should treat it as a four-way stop. Stop at the white line at the crosswalk, and then proceed in the order of which you stopped compared to the other cars stopped at the intersection. Failure to do so could cause you to be t-boned in the intersection, or cause you to t-bone another car crossing the intersection, and that is never a good thing for the parties involved.

I’ve seen this first hand in the Binghamton area, and most recently, on the Vestal Parkway. The power was out which means the traffic signal was not working. A lot of people think that if they are driving on the road with the higher volume of traffic, Main Street in Binghamton, Johnson City, Endicott for example, or even on the Vestal Parkway, think they have the right away. They do not.

We all learned this when we we’re studying to get our drivers license. But with the potential of power outages in the Binghamton area  tomorrow caused from the remnants of hurricane Isaias, the New York State Department of Transportation thought this would be a good time to remind all drivers about what to do if they come to a traffic light that is dark. NYSDOT sent this Tweet today:

Whether it’s a hurricane, tropical storm or just a severe thunderstorm, if you’re expecting power outages, remember that a dark traffic signals should be treated as all-way stops. Drivers should come to a complete stop and take turns proceeding through the intersection. #Isaias pic.twitter.com/fxyuLExnhC

— NYSDOT (@NYSDOT) August 3, 2020

[via:Twitter/NYSDOT]

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