Police Officer Preparation & Law Enforcement Resource - Archive

First I would like to admit that on occasion I drive spiritedly on some open roads without congestion. I always accept that there is a chance I may receive a ticket, and I understand that I will pay the consequences. I never run stop signs or red lights.

On Sunday afternoon I’m cruising around the West End area of Dallas. All of a sudden I hear this high-pitched sound behind me. As I look back it is a bicycle cop peddling as fast as he can blowing his whistle. (He turns out to be Dart Police). I slow down to about 5 miles an hour wondering if he is trying to catch my attention. He comes up to the side of my car out of breath and tells me to pull over. As I pull over his back up arrives on his bicycle. They both start giving me compliments about my car and started laughing about how easy it would have been for me to outrun them. He tells that I ran a red light four blocks back. I courteously stated that one signal was yellow when I went through, but there was no chance it was red. They kept commenting on the car and then he told me he would be right back. I thought that maybe he would give me a warning but to no avail he comes back with a ticket. I stated that there are pedestrians all over this area and I would never be foolish enough to run a red light. I also explained that if he was able to catch me on a bicycle that it was obvious I was not in a hurry to get anywhere.
Anyway, you should have seen the pedestrians laughing at a Viper being pulled over by a bicycle cop. People were bumping into each other to get a look.
Anyway I cannot begin to explain how frustrating it is to receive a ticket, which was not warranted. My question is are you illegally running a signal if you enter an intersection when the light is yellow and exit when it is red?

Depends on the state. Technically, the yellow light is in place to allow cars already inside the intersection to go through, and it is regarded as a red light to everyone else.

Yes, IN PA a yellow light vio can be written up the same as a red light. I'll let TXInvestigator1 answer though.

Our bike cops make more traffic stops in the summer then our marked units do in my town.

I once had someone that I had pulled over for a red light violation argue with me that the light was very much yellow and NOT red as I had alleged.

The person was very hostile and insisted that I should not be stopping him because the light was clearly yellow.

I went back to the patrol vehicel and upon my return to his vehicle told him that upon consideration of his credibility, I believed him that the light was indeed yellow and would not be citing him for a red light violation.

I then handed him a citation for accelerating through a yellow light and told him I only wrote him for the violation that he admitted to because he was so credible.

Per city ordinance, you can not accelerate through the intersection at a yellow light.

He was not a happy camper but he did not contest the citation.

From what I have learned from our Traffic Enforcement Officers and Local State Troopers, here in Washington you will only be cited if your front tires have not crossed the stop bar once the light has turned red.

Thanks for the replys. It seems as though each state has a different standards in considering what constitutes disreguarding a red light. Does anyone know how to find the the actual law on-line for Texas?

Gotta love ambivalent law....or not.


" (e) An operator of a vehicle facing a steady yellow signal
is warned by that signal that:
(1) movement authorized by a green signal is being
terminated; or
(2) a red signal is to be given.


I'm not allowed to post links yet, but I'll make an attempt at this one, you have to "fix it":
w!w.capitol.state.tx.us/statutes/tn.toc.htm
Its Chapter 544. If that link doesn't work, PM me or something.
-Garrett