Drivers in uptown Athens and throughout Ohio will soon legally be allowed to run a red light under certain circumstances.
Ohio House Bill 154, which was passed by the state legislature in December and signed by Gov. John Kasich, will take effect March 21. The bill permits drivers to go through red lights if they believe the lights are not functioning properly. That includes situations in which the signal's detector does not sense the presence of a vehicle.
Athens City Police Chief Tom Pyle said he wasn't concerned about the law.
"The big thing is that people stop," he said. "When a light's out or a light's malfunctioning, stop. Then, if you have to, under those kinds of circumstances you would proceed with caution."
Pyle added that there is already a law in place in Athens with a similar concept.
"There kind of already is a law on the books for that," he said. "(The law) basically says that anytime an intersection light is malfunctioning, you're to treat it as a stop sign."
One light that malfunctions more often than usual is the light at the BP Station on Richland Avenue, Pyle said.
Pyle said he believes the law was written with motorcyclists in mind.
"Coming down off the highway, there's a light that has a ... sensor (which) is not very sensitive, particularly for motorcycles," he said. "That's one of the reasons this law is getting passed. Motorcycles don't always trip the circuit."
According to a blog post by law firm Rittgers & Rittgers, the law does not establish a certain amount of time a motorist must wait before deciding a light is malfunctioning. If the light turns out to be working, drivers could still be cited for a minor misdemeanor or be liable for any accident caused.
"That's stupid," Cody Wilson, a junior studying biological sciences, said. "I've heard about it. It's just stupid. It gives people the ability to make a judgement that could risk someone else's life. It puts too many lives in danger by leaving traffic laws up to human judgement."
Wilson commuted to OU last year and owns a car on campus this year.
Other students felt the law could be useful in certain situations.
"I've actually (run a red light when it wasn't working) before, just not here," Darrian White, a junior studying pre-law said.
White, who uses her car every weekend, said she thinks the law should have a time limit of at least a minute before drivers can make their own judgement.
