Why do so many drivers run the flashing red lights in DC?

Submitted by Naviindex t3_ykvpk8 in washingtondc

Yesterday (11/02/2022) afternoon around 4:30pm, the traffic lights at intersections of van ness and connecticut ave were out of function, and the drivers on the connecticut ave kept running the flashing red lights just like the lights were still green. A police officer with yellow gloves stood at the sidewalk watching the traffic and did nothing about it until one pedestrian approached to ask him for an escort to cross the traffic, he walked the pedestrian to middle of the road, and the chaos slowed down for a bit and restarted once the guy crossed the avenue. When I headed back about 40 minutes later, the lights were still out, the police officer was gone, and drivers were still running the flashing lights with hones to each other. I moved to DC from Fairfax last year, and lived in Chicago and NYC and many other cities across the country, DC is the only place that I saw that massive drivers chose to ignore the flashing red lights and brought unsafe chaos at intersection. More ironically, the police is getting used to it? What is going on in this city, getting worse or better? Is there anything we can do about it instead of posting here at Reddit? A new commissioner or a new major will get it better, the capital of mighty US?

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keyjan t1_iuvlwsx wrote

They run the solid red lights, too.

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EastoftheCap t1_iuvmav6 wrote

Traffic laws don’t count around here anymore.

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funkort t1_iuxyk15 wrote

They never did? People beeeeennnn driving thru red lights.

DC is consistently rated as having the worst drivers in the country. I remember hearing it on the radio as a kid and not understanding till I went to driving school. Niggas are gonna drive how they want and they always have. S’not middle America/ a place that requires cars. Many many many people don’t have licenses.

Also considering how drivers stop for the wildest jay walking known to man (sometimes) risking other vehicles I can’t even be mad.

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[deleted] t1_iuvdiye wrote

[deleted]

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Iaintyourclownbro t1_iuvnhld wrote

I’ve been passed on two lane city streets just so they could be one ahead of me at the next light. There’s also driving around the car stopping at a red light so they can run it or honking their horn the second a light turns green (assuming they were prevented from running it). Plenty of morons with nothing to lose driving out there. The funny thing is I guarantee they aren’t important enough to be missed if late. They are just emotional children behind the wheel of a two ton death machine

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Throwaway2theplate t1_iuvp6zp wrote

>honking their horn the second a light turns green

TBH I used to hate hearing/seeing this too, but the phone a-holes have left normal people no choice but to express displeasure at their self absorbed twatness.

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KinNortheast t1_iuwk9uo wrote

I maintain that all drivers need periodic refreshers on the rules of the road, and how to handle emergency situations.

Like the fireside chats that FDR used to do. Mario Lopez or Nick lachay could host

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wowihaveanopinion t1_iv17dmt wrote

oh you didnt know that everyone in DC has their own right of way because they are oh so super important? im kidding people here are the worst fucking drivers in the universe. heads up asses. im a native.

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Naviindex OP t1_iv3g6sj wrote

I would vote for the mayor who can make both pedestrian and driver safer, there are lots of things DC can do but haven’t.

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ILikeCountingThings t1_iuwcr01 wrote

Going to assume you physically saw that they were flashing red, and not flashing yellow like u/DrewinSWDC guessed (which was my first thought initially, too). But, I've seen drivers running flashing red everywhere, not just DC. It seems like some drivers forget (conveniently) what it means, and then others see those drivers doing it and do the same...

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AsbestosIn0bstetrics t1_iuw3gb6 wrote

A lifetime of consuming water containing high levels of lead will leave you with developmental disabilities and learning disorders. So a good number of your fellow motorists are essentially "slow."

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KatelynAllie t1_iuxyi05 wrote

I noticed this when I was going through that same light!

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CuriousPlato t1_iuy0b8j wrote

On Wisconsin if you're talking about the lights that are not permanently on, but turn on when a pedestrian crosses the street, the flashing red means yield? There is a big sign on each of the lights that says stop on red and proceed on flashing red. It's really confusing, I drive on this road like 4 or 5 times a week, it took me a while to get used to it. Link below should take you to the sign.

https://goo.gl/maps/mN93YAz1msMsFYwt6

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SaltyLobbyist t1_iuzdc7w wrote

When I complain about the drivers here, which is basically an hourly occurrence, if I’m with my dad he always likes to remind me that half the people on the road are of below average intelligence…

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DrewinSWDC t1_iuvm9io wrote

They were likely flashing yellow on the main artery and red on the side streets……

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Naviindex OP t1_iuwf5pa wrote

Flashing Red for both Van Ness St and Connecticut Ave. In fact, I saw flashing red for Van Ness first, and thought it must be solid green on Connecticut, because no one stopped in the traffic. Same scenario occurred couple of weeks ago, too. What surprised me this time is the police just watched it like it’s none of his business. The pedestrians waiting to cross Connecticut looked frustrated and vulnerable.

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