You are not alone in wondering if running a yellow light in Texas is legal. The answer is that timing, intent, and how you act at the intersection will determine how you get there.
Texas Laws on Red and Yellow Lights
In Texas, a yellow light does not necessarily keep you from getting through. Unlike red lights, yellow lights inform you of an imminent red. As stated in the Texas Transportation Code, a yellow light means to slow down and prepare to stop if you can do it safely.
If the light turns red when you’re in the intersection, then you have not violated. Racing through a yellow light at high speed can bring you under scrutiny and, in accidents, reckless behavior that can leave you legally vulnerable.
Therefore, if a speeding driver causes a crash and you sustain injuries, contact a car accident attorney in Houston, Texas.
Running Yellow Lights Can Cause Crashes
Yellow lights often give drivers a split-second decision to stop or continue. This usually happens, and many accidents result from drivers misjudging this timing, resulting in a T-bone or a rear-end crash. Traffic studies indicate that intersections with many high-speed yellow light incidents have higher accident rates, especially in urban areas with many lanes, creating additional risk.
Police reports in Texas often cite risky yellow light decisions concerning such crashes, and insurers commonly consider them high-risk. A driver who speeds through rather than yields at a yellow light may be liable if an accident occurs.
Negligence and Yellow Light Running
In Texas, a driver’s failure to exercise reasonable caution is often at the heart of negligence in a traffic case. If a driver runs a yellow light and is involved in an accident, they can be considered negligent. Texas courts look to see if the driver acted responsibly.
If the driver had the time to slow down or stop but drove forward, that may be evidence of negligence. In personal injury cases, the plaintiff injured by a driver running a yellow light may complain that the driver failed to act reasonably. However, such claims can grow in strength with more eyewitness accounts or surveillance footage.
Learn More About the Legal Risks of Running Yellow Lights
Running a yellow light might seem small, but it has legal consequences. Legal sanctions can include a penalty when a driver runs a yellow light or collides with another car, significantly if injured. If the other driver was at fault for the injuries, Texas law permits anyone who suffered injuries to file a claim seeking compensation with the help of a Baumgartner Law Firm.
Yellow light accidents fall right into the crosshairs of insurance adjusters, who often side against the driver who did not stop, arguing that they didn’t act prudently. Both insurance outcomes and potential legal liability will depend on the record of the driver, past incidents, and the driver’s behavior at the time.
Reaching out to a car accident lawyer after you are injured in a traffic accident involving a driver running a yellow light allows you to learn your rights and what options are available to you.
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