LANSING, Mich. (WOOD) — Legislation aimed at clearing up driver confusion during a traffic light outage is now law.
On Tuesday, Lt. Gov. Brian Calley signed a bill that requires drivers to treat intersections with a malfunctioning traffic signal as a four-way stop.
The previous state law didn’t require intersections with a dark traffic light be treated as a four-way stop. Instead, it stated a vehicle approaching an intersection must yield to another vehicle which has already entered the intersection from a different highway. It also specified that when two vehicles enter an intersection from different highways at approximately the same time, the vehicle on the left must yield to the vehicle on the right.
The earlier law was written this way to keep traffic flowing when stop lights are out.
Now, all drivers must stop at a darkened traffic signal.
“It might slow traffic a bit on major roads, but it’s worth it if it can help save lives,” said Sen. Rick Jones, who created the new law.
The new legislation does not apply to traffic lights that are only active during certain periods, such as signals outside of a school or fire department.