How many seconds does the yellow light last before turning red?
2 Answers
The yellow light lasts for 3 seconds before turning red. Here is some relevant information about traffic lights: 1. Introduction: Traffic lights are signal lights that direct traffic operation. 2. Classification: Traffic lights are divided into motor vehicle signal lights, non-motor vehicle signal lights, pedestrian crossing signal lights, direction indicator lights (arrow signal lights), lane signal lights, flashing warning signal lights, and railway crossing signal lights. 3. Light colors: Initially, there were only red and green colors. Later, after improvements, a yellow light was added. The red light means stop, the yellow light means prepare, and the green light means go. The reason for using these three colors as traffic signals is related to people's visual structure and psychological reactions.
I've been driving in the city for over a decade and have personally observed various yellow light durations. On major urban arterial roads, they're typically set at 3-4 seconds, with longer durations at high-traffic intersections like crossroads. I remember one intersection near a school zone with a full 5-second yellow, probably considering student safety. However, during rush hours, yellow lights seem shorter—sometimes just 2 seconds before turning red, likely to improve traffic flow with heavy volume. New drivers should pay special attention: start easing off the accelerator when the green light begins flashing, don't wait for yellow to slam the brakes—especially on rainy days when roads are slippery. Settings vary between cities and even individual intersections, so the safest approach is to decelerate early rather than racing against the countdown.
