When blue lights are bad, you don’t need a traffic ticket

Conservatives who believe blue light emissions cause an increased risk of death or impairment in driving have long argued that motorists should be allowed to turn off the headlights on their cars, even if the traffic lights are on.

But as traffic lights become more common, the idea of turning off headlights for driving to be safe has been abandoned, at least in part. 

In the latest episode of “The Road Trip,” host Ryan Seacrest explores why the current trend of reducing headlights is not only not safe but dangerous, and why the American Automobile Association (AAA) wants to stop people from turning off their headlights. 

“The most common reason why drivers are turning off lights is that they’re trying to avoid being seen by the red light cameras, which are basically just red light machines that shoot you,” Seacres says.

“If you look at the numbers, there are over 1,500 people in the U.S. dying from being struck by a vehicle that was driving a red light.”

Seacrest’s show, which aired Sunday night on ABC’s “Road Trip,” has become a hot topic in recent months as advocates for green lighting argue that motorists are actually making the world a safer place by not turning off the lights, while driving through intersections. 

The American Automotive Association has been trying to change the conversation, and its latest proposal, dubbed the Traffic Light Turn Off Device (TLOD) proposal, is designed to address the problem of driving through intersection lights.

The TLOD proposal is a standard in the AAA’s traffic signal plan, and would prohibit the use of red light signals to avoid a red signal if a driver wants to turn on their headlights to make a left turn.”TLODs are not just for safety,” says the proposal’s authors, John Mathers and Richard Pinto.

“We believe that they can also improve the quality of life of motorists who are driving in traffic, whether in a city, town or rural area.”

The TLOD would require drivers to turn their headlights on when it’s safe to do so, as long as they’re not doing it for any other reason than to avoid the red lights.

“In other words, you would have to turn your headlights on to avoid hitting a red arrow,” says Matheres.

“That is not a safe way to drive.” 

The proposal also calls for mandatory flashing green lights and warning signs on the side of every car in the intersection, and it would require cars to have amber lights to indicate when they are turning. 

Seacres also discusses a proposal by a California driver who had to turn her headlights on after the traffic signal turned green to make her turn, because she thought it was safe to drive through an intersection.

“The red light was on, but she wasn’t turning her lights on because she was scared of the red arrow.

That is completely wrong.

And she had no reason to think that it was going to be safer,” says Seacre. 

To find out more about the proposed TLOD and other safety improvements, check out the full episode.

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