Another left-turn crash; flashing yellow arrow to blame?

Car accident at Green Springs and Red Cliffs Drive, Washington City, Utah, Feb. 3, 2014 | Photo by Kimberly Scott, St. George News

WASHINGTON CITY — One person was transported to the hospital after a two-car collision occurred at the intersection of Green Springs Drive and Red Cliffs Drive at approximately 8:30 p.m. Monday. The driver cited was charged with failure to yield on a flashing yellow left-turn signal.

The man who was transported from the scene had non-incapacitating injuries and his current condition is unknown, Washington City Police spokesman Ed Kantor said, as of 9:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Both vehicles were towed.

Car accident at Green Springs and Red Cliffs Drive, Washington City, Utah, Feb. 3, 2014 | Photo by Kimberly Scott, St. George News
Car accident at Green Springs and Red Cliffs Drive, Washington City, Utah, Feb. 3, 2014 | Photo by Kimberly Scott, St. George News

According to the police report, a red Honda with no passengers entered the intersection on a flashing yellow left-turn signal. The red Honda crossed in front of a black Honda, which was carrying two passengers, and the collision occurred. The black Honda was traveling through the intersection toward the red Honda on a green light.

The driver of the black Honda was transported by ambulance, Kantor said, but neither of the other two passengers reported injuries at the scene. The driver of the red Honda also did not report injuries at the scene.

This report is based in part on preliminary information provided by law enforcement and may not contain the full scope of findings.

Flashing yellows cause for concern?

Kantor said he has noticed that many accidents have occurred on flashing yellow left-turn signals.  These signals are fairly new in our area although they have been in some more congested areas for some time now, he said.

“I don’t know if drivers are confused as to the purpose of those,” Kantor said.

These flashing yellows occur as a cautionary signal when the through-traffic has a green light. Flashing yellow left-turn signals are a reminder to drivers to yield to oncoming traffic; all of the standard laws for turning left on a green light apply.

“Sometimes we depend too much on lights and not pay attention to what’s physically in front of us,” Kantor said.

Intersections in general are a major area where crashes occur, Kantor said, “even if you’ve got a green light you need to check that intersection.”

Related Posts

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @STGnews

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2014, all rights reserved.

Car accident at Green Springs and Red Cliffs Drive, Washington City, Utah, Feb. 3, 2014 | Photo by Kimberly Scott, St. George News
Car accident at Green Springs and Red Cliffs Drive, Washington City, Utah, Feb. 3, 2014 | Photo by Kimberly Scott, St. George News

Free News Delivery by Email

Would you like to have the day's news stories delivered right to your inbox every evening? Enter your email below to start!

10 Comments

  • A Regretful Father February 4, 2014 at 12:49 pm

    What the heck is wrong with the drivers in this area? If they think that a flashing yellow means solid green then they are the problem. Don’t blame it on the flashing yellow light.

  • My Evil Twin February 4, 2014 at 1:07 pm

    Flashing yellow left turn arrows are not the problem. The problem is basic stupidity, coupled with inattention and a “me first, screw you” attitude that so many people have anymore.

    • KanabCowgirl February 4, 2014 at 4:52 pm

      Evil twin you know ur right don’t u? That’s been dh’s observation for quite awhile now and he said that it’s getting a lot worse. He said u can’t leave 3inches in front of u or someone will whip in and almost take ur front end off. He’s had way too many close calls. We keep on our toes driving in stg

  • Doofy February 4, 2014 at 1:48 pm

    Driver’s blast through that intersection FAST. I’ve found it difficult at times to judge a safe left turn there.

  • Zoe February 4, 2014 at 4:03 pm

    People blow through that intersection going way over the speed limit, it’s very hard to determine if it’s safe to turn. They should consider just using a green arow only.

  • mary February 4, 2014 at 4:28 pm

    People complained about the green arrows at intersections because they would have to sit and wait forever when there was plenty of room for a safe turn during the wait…..hence the reason they changed it to flashing yellow. No one is ever happy with anything. If you cant judge the speed of oncoming cars well, DON’T TURN! Or let someone else drive.

  • Sandy February 4, 2014 at 10:21 pm

    Its confusing, people dont get the concept!!!!

  • Julie February 5, 2014 at 9:02 pm

    I love the flashing yellow at that intersection — don’t change a thing (other than sending some people back to the Driver’s Ed classroom).

  • Erick March 25, 2014 at 8:42 pm

    Tack me up for another accident caused by the yellow lights as well.

    I was turning left onto telegraph. Heading north in 300 e in Washington. I approached the intersection, the light went from green to red. Then flashed yellow. I immediately stopped and a ford F-250 slammed into my trunk.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.