City traffic lights. you would think, are pretty simple devices. They are, after all, only three different colored lights with some switches and timers. And while red and green are obvious, you would think that the meaning of the yellow light wouldn't take a rocket scientist to figure out.

I could be wrong, of course. (Most intersection accidents seem to happen in relation to that light.)

I intend to help humanity with this rather simple article. I would like to take any confusion regarding the yellow light away with a concept so obvious that it probably is already known to all:

Yellow is either Red or Green

In other words, the yellow light either means stop or go. Now all we have to figure out is when it means stop and when it means go. (grin)

When you notice that a light is yellow and if you are able to stop before entering the intersection, yellow means 'stop'. At all other times yellow means 'go, but use caution'. Please note that a yellow light NEVER means 'speed up'.

So now YOU know the rules, but you should assume that nobody else does. In other words, when you are waiting for a light to turn green, after it does you should assume that someone is going to be in the intersection trying to stretch out the yellow as it turns red. A head check is absolutely critical before entering an intersection when your light turns green.

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