House Bill 210: Malfunctioning Traffic Light Act (Last Updated: 3/11/2010)

I introduced this bill in 2009 as House Bill 6: Malfunctioning Traffic Light Act. I have re-introduced it in 2010. Below is my write-up from last year, with contemporaneous updates.

Question: What is the law to follow when you approach a malfunctioning signal light in your vehicle?

Answer: Treat it like an all-way Stop Sign.

Wrong.

Currently, most people follow the rule of thumb listed above. They incorrectly believe that is the law. However, Maryland law is silent on what a driver should do when approaching a malfunctioning signal light. It is completely legal to simply ignore the broken traffic light and drive right through.

As a member of the Motor Vehicles Subcommittee of the House Environmental Matters Committee, I'm uniquely positioned to correct this omission in our traffic laws. For this reason, I have introduced House Bill 6: The Malfunctioning Traffic Light Act. Senator James Robey has kindly agreed to introduce this same legislation in the Senate.

The Malfunctioning Traffic Light Act says that "If no lighted indication is visible to a driver approaching traffic control signal, the driver shall reduce speed and prepare yield to other vehicles in or approaching the intersection." This language was modeled after Delaware's law. It has been recommended by John Porcari, Secretary of the Maryland Department of Transportation.

You can read the actual text of the bill by clicking here.

[Updated 2/3/2009]: You can hear the audio recording of the hearing before the House Environemental Matters Committee on 2/3/2009 by clicking here.

[Updated 1/20/2010]: I have re-introduced this bill as the House Bill 210: Malfunctioning Traffic Light Act. You can read the text of the bill here.

[Updated 2/2/2010]: I had a good bill hearing in the House Environmental Matters Committee. You can watch the video by clicking here.

[Updated 3/11/2010]: Bad News! The Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee voted Senator Lisa Gladden's companion bill down by a vote of 5-6, thus killing this bill. You can see a roll call of the votes by clicking here. I plan to re-introduce this bill next year.