loading...

Chuck LaTour and I talk about this all the time.....if a traffic light is out, treat it as a 4-way stop!  Right?

Guess what?  We are wrong.....and, have been for many years!

Go figure.

Kyla King of the Grand Rapids Press writes that the law does not say a signalized intersection that loses power becomes a four-way stop.

During power outages, Michigan law gives the right of way to drivers on state highways and major roads. For example, in Grand Rapids at the intersection of East Beltline Avenue and Leonard Street NE drivers would cede the right of way to those on the Beltline.

For a more complete explanation, I once again turned to traffic law safety expert Michigan State Police Sgt. Mike Church.

Church deferred to his predecessor, Sgt. Lance Cook, who is apparently “legendary” amongst police and magistrates as a Michigan traffic law expert.

Cook famously addressed power loss at signalized intersections in update No. 32 to the “Traffic Services Field Update” archive.

Here's what Cook had to say:

“The Traffic Services Section continues to receive questions regarding the right-of-way at intersections where a traffic signal has lost power. When a signal loses power, the intersection becomes uncontrolled and reverts back to the basic right-of-way requirements found in (the Michigan Vehicle Code). It does not become a four-way stop, as is frequently reported in the media.”

OK, I confess. I myself am one of the guilty members of “the media” who in the past may have unknowingly spread misinformation.

So, what do you think?  Safe...unsafe?  Let us know.


More From 100.5 FM The River