Obscure law catching drivers Seeing red at yellow lights

TOWNSVILLE motorists are being slapped with thousands of dollars in fines for breaking a little-known law on our roads.

In the 33 months to April, 166 people were caught driving through yellow traffic lights across Townsville, amounting to a whopping $64,645 in fines.

In Queensland, the road rules state you must stop at a yellow traffic light as long as it’s safe to do so.

To March 31, 50 people have been caught illegally driving through a yellow light, according to Department of Transport and Main Roads figures.

A total of 59 drivers and 57 drivers were nabbed for the offence in the 2016-17 and 2017-18 financial years. A Department of Transport and Main Roads spokeswoman said traffic lights controlled the flow of vehicles and pedestrians to improve safety and access to roads.

“You must stop on a yellow light, unless it is unsafe to do so,” the spokeswoman said. “The yellow light is not the end of the green light phase – it is the beginning of the red light phase.

“If it’s safe to stop, you must not drive past the stop line at the yellow traffic light or, if there is no stop line, the traffic light. If it’s unsafe to stop – such as being close to the light when it changes from green to yellow – you may proceed through the yellow light.”

Townsville Road Policing Unit officer-in-charge acting Senior Sergeant Robbie Nalder said people needed to take the attitude if it’s yellow, you have to stop.

“They think it’s OK (to run the light), but it’s not. It’s the same fine as running a red light, so there is no difference,” he said. “We’ve had a number of crashes, a number of fatal crashes, occur at traffic lights where people have ran the yellow light.

“Everybody’s got to accept the fact that if you see a light that’s yellow and you honestly have time to pull up, you should be pulling up, not trying to run the light just because you want to get that 30 seconds further down the road.”

The fine for running a yellow light is $400, according to police.