Flashing red light entails total stop and should be treated like a stop sign in the US according to MUTCD standards. Stop completely at stop lines/crosswalks, give way to all cross-traffic, pedestrians, cyclists then only continue on when clear. All directions flashing red? Four-way stop rules are observed: first in first out, yield right in case of a tie.
Mandatory Complete Stop
No rolling–needless stoppage. Left (oncoming), right (cross-street), ahead (peds). In school zones, the fines are doubled; night scan is to be performed with a higher degree of caution.
Priority Yielding
Complete right-of-way to: green traffic, marked/unmarked crosswalk pedestrians, emergency vehicles, bikes. Railroad flashing reds require that activators be stopped.
Typical Locations
Traffic jams, pedestrian lights, traffic congestion. The temporary accident scenes malfunction red.
Violation Penalties
Fines of $100- 300, 3-4 license points, 25% insurance increase. Accidents turn into careless driving.
Defensive Tips
Signal early, 360, proof of dashcam. Make a four-way assumption in case of blackouts. Go ahead when it is clear.
Flashing reds avert T-bones at 300K daily US signal failures: stop, yield, go.