New law allows red light runners under conditions

One of the odder new laws to take effect in Ohio is a new law that will allow drivers to go through red lights under certain conditions.

Under the law that takes effect in March, drivers still have to come to a complete stop at the red light. They can proceed after a reasonable amount of time, even if the light isn’t green, but only if they believe the red light is malfunctioning or their vehicle isn’t tripping the signal change and there are no other cars in the intersection.

But it’s not a free pass to not obey the stop signal just because you’re impatient.

“Even if the light is not functioning, you still have to be governed by the right of way at an intersection,” said Lt. Michael Gore, the commander of the Ironton post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

Gore said imagine being at a four-wway stop governed by a traffic light with an actuator that lets the light know a vehicle is there so it can turn from red to green.

“If you are sitting at the light and people are on the main route, it’s like being at a stop sign,” he said. “You can’t just run through there. You have to stop prior to the intersection just like the law says. You have to wait to proceed until it is clear.”

And if a driver is pulled over by law enforcement and it is proved the light is in working order, drivers can still face a fine.

“There are several sections in the law that cover that,” Gore said. “If it is a left turn, it can be failure to yield right of way. There is running a red light. It is pretty outlined in some of the subsections of  (Ohio Revised Code) section 4511.132 which has been amended.”

There are around 50 other laws that take effect this year including the state’s minimum wage being raised to $8.15 an hour, one that expands where people can carry guns and allows employees to keep a gun in their locked vehicle on company property, a 20-week abortion ban goes into effect, cockfighting is now a felony, and students can no longer be expelled for missing an excessive amount of school days.