Lights, and more often than not the absence of them, are major causes of vehicle collisions every year. As we approach the twilight of our darkest commuting season, winter, it’s a good time to consider some things we can do to improve our chances of making it through another season of driving discontent.
Traffic signals, like everything else, can suffer from the extreme climate conditions of our changing seasons, and due to their almost perfect track record of proper operation, we can become accustomed to their reliability, which can lead to a false sense of safety.

Even if a lane is designated as right- or left-turn only, it is still the law that a driver must signal the intention to turn.
Photos.com, driving.ca
When a traffic signal at an intersection fails, the laws of most jurisdictions in Canada require drivers to treat the crossing as a four-way or all-way stop and yield to traffic, proceeding with caution in an orderly manner. When two vehicles reach the stop line at the same time from adjoining lanes (and their paths are crossing each other), drivers are required to yield to the vehicle on their right.
If two vehicles meet across the intersection from each other and one is signaling to turn across the path of the other, the vehicle making the turn must yield to through traffic. When vehicles don’t reach the intersection at the same time, it’s first come, first to move on, provided they are not turning. Left-turning vehicles must yield to through traffic, and in all cases turning autos should yield to pedestrians.
Recent changes to Ontario traffic laws require drivers to wait until pedestrians have completely cleared an intersection or crosswalk before proceeding through their walkway.
Most drivers can handle these exercises in a simple two-lane intersection, but it can really get interesting in urban areas where four or six lanes converge. The same basic rules of right-of-way and yielding to through traffic apply, but the sheer volume of vehicles can make things dicey.
When approaching any intersection with an inoperative signal light, there are a few things you can do to make things go smoothly. First, use your signals. This might seem like a no-brainer, but check and see how many drivers don’t signal at intersections, especially if they’re in a reserved turn-lane; these dolts simply assume you already know they’re turning.
Next, remove the distractions. Turn the radio down or off altogether. Crack your front windows slightly so you can benefit from the sounds of traffic to let you know what’s going on around you. Flip up your sun-visors and remove the blacked-out sunglasses, so other drivers and pedestrians can make eye contact with you. Before you do the Good Samaritan routine to let a few extra cars move through when it’s your turn, check in your rearview mirror to make sure approaching traffic isn’t assuming you’re moving when you’re supposed to.

A bus passes through a snowy intersection.
Joel Bissell, AP Photo / The Grand Rapids Press
A new kink in traffic signals comes from the move to LED lighting over the traditional incandescent type. Municipalities have been making this changeover for the last five years or so to reduce costs. A fully signalized intersection can use the same amount of electrical power as an average one-family house when lit with incandescent bulbs, while a switch to LED can bring a power decrease of up to 90 per cent.
As well, LED traffic signals don’t suffer from sudden and complete bulb failure; as these lights use large numbers of small LED lamps which never burn out at the same time, they can give repair crews advanced notice of their impending doom. And LED lamps have a much longer service life over incandescent lights. That’s the good news.
But there is one major drawback that LED traffic signals bring, also affecting many late-model vehicles: LED lamps don’t create nearly the amount of heat as incandescents. In winter this means that traffic signals can ice over or become snow packed during heavy storms. Traffic signal lamp suppliers have come up with ingenious covers and shields to minimize this, but if the weather conditions are right, it still happens.
Many automakers have made the switch to LEDs for the same reason: power savings. A reduction in the amount of electrical demand on a vehicle’s charging system brings improved fuel economy. The use of LED lamps also lets designers get more creative. If your vehicle is equipped with LED lamps (and you can check by simply touching the lens on a cold day with the lamp turned on to feel for warmth), take the time to check all the exterior lights on snowy or slushy days. Keep a soft cloth in the car and make a quick walk around to wipe off any snow, road salt or grime deposits that can drastically reduce your lights’ effectiveness.
