We’ll get the next one!

Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold up there a minute, Dale Earnhardt. Just because the traffic light up ahead just turned green, that doesn’t mean you need to just, like, drive towards it. There are a number of things you need to think about when approaching a green light. Let’s just all slow down, take a deep breath, and think about it.

 

In these situations, it’s best to see a green light like a spitting cobra: If you approach too quickly, the cobra will unleash its venom and kill you. So even if there’s no traffic ahead of you, and the light will stay green long enough for you to pass through it (perhaps confirmed by a digital countdown), there’s no need to be hasty about it. It’s better to kind of hang back and see what happens; if that cobra really will strike.

 

One does not simply react and depress the gas pedal when a light turns green. There’s a whole decision tree you should go through while cars are waiting behind you. You want to slowly and carefully drive up to the light, but slow down as you get closer. The last thing you want is for that light to turn yellow as you drive through the intersection. The legal penalties for running a yellow light are like $5,000 and six months in prison.

 

See, usually, when a traffic light ahead turns green and there’s no traffic in front of your car, it’s too good to be true. That’s why you need to drive well under the speed limit in preparation for traffic that is not yet there but may materialize.

 

After all, that light will be red so it’s prudent to prepare, like storing up food for the winter. Of course, the light may turn red on you while you were crawling up to it—a light you otherwise could have made if you’d driven a reasonable speed. Do you believe everything happens for a reason? Well, making this light just wasn’t meant to be.

 

Drivers behind you might get irate at you because if you had driven at a normal speed, they might have also made that green light. Don’t worry about them—disarm them with a smile! Just lean out the window and wave at these people, and through a smile, say, “It’s fine! We’ll get the next one!”