En esta noticia
Obeying traffic lights and traffic signs is the foundation of safe driving, and ignoring them is one of the most heavily penalized violations. However, there is one situation in which a driver not only can but must ignore those signals without getting a ticket. It may sound contradictory, but there is a clear logic to it.
The one situation in which you must ignore traffic lights and signs
The only case applies when an authorized person is directing traffic by hand. The most common example is a police officer standing in the middle of an intersection, signaling with hand motions to stop or allow vehicles through. At that point, that officer’s instructions take priority over the traffic light and any traffic sign.
That means if the officer signals drivers to go, even if the light is red, they must go; and if the officer tells them to stop, even if the light is green, they must stop. The general traffic rule of always obeying the control device has exactly this exception: the instructions of the person directing traffic by hand override everything else.
Who Has That Authority
Not just anyone can override the traffic light. Priority goes to authorized people directing traffic, including:
- Police officers, when they take control of an intersection.
- Authorized flaggers in work zones, who regulate traffic with a STOP/SLOW paddle or a flag.
- Uniformed school crossing guards at crossings near schools.
In all of these cases, under traffic laws, those people’s signals take precedence over traffic lights and signs. Following them is not a violation; ignoring them is.