No WhiteWash!

Tennessee Legislators Rep. John Litz and Senator Steve Southerland have introduced bills to set a mandatory 5-sec minimum yellow light time where red light revenue cameras are installed at traffic signals.

However, Morristown, TN is fighting this bill and is defending its 3.5 second yellow time.  Jeff Branham, Morristown city engineer, has stated that the 5-second yellow is a bad idea.  Branham says changing laws based on “political pressure” is “messing with public safety.

Mr. Branham, increase your yellow time to five seconds and you may find that your accidents are reduced at the intersections.

Any city that opposes this bill will show that they are in the red light camera business for the money and not for public safety.  There are just too many studies that show a longer yellow time decreases accidents.

It will be interesting to see which Tennessee Legislators vote to support these bills.

Tennessee House and Senate bills below

HB 0541 by *Litz ( SB 0768 by *Southerland)

(A) Except as provided in subdivision (a)(8)(B), whenever in this state three-light traffic-control signals are used displaying successively green, yellow, and red lights for the direction of motorists and pedestrians, the minimum time exposure of the yellow light shall be three (3) seconds. Any state agency or any political subdivision of the state that installs, owns, operates, or maintains any such traffic-control signal light shall set or cause to be set the timing-control device for the signal light in compliance with this subdivision (a)(8)(A).

(B) Whenever in this state three-light traffic-control signals are used displaying successively green, yellow, and red lights for the direction of motorists and pedestrians, and such traffic-control signal is located in an intersection that employs a surveillance camera for the enforcement or monitoring of traffic violations, the minimum time exposure of the yellow light shall be five (5) seconds. Any state agency or any political subdivision of the state that installs, owns, operates, or maintains any such traffic-control signal light shall set or cause to be set the timing-control device for the signal light in compliance with this subdivision (a)(8)(B). No state agency or political subdivision of the state that installs, owns, operates, or maintains a traffic-control signal light located in an intersection that employs a surveillance camera for the enforcement or monitoring of traffic violations shall reduce the time exposure of the yellow light at the intersection with the intended purpose of increasing the number of traffic violations.