When driving on Florida streets, the law is clear on ‘running’ a yellow light. According to 2025 Florida Statute Chapter 316, Subsection 316.075, the meaning of the steady yellow light found in a typical three-color traffic signal consisting of green, yellow, and red lights is explained in detail. If you’ve ever wondered about the history of traffic lights, check out our story onĀ where traffic light colors originated.
The statute states, “Vehicular traffic facing a steady yellow signal is thereby warned that the related green movement is being terminated or that a red indication will be exhibited immediately thereafter when vehicular traffic shall not enter the intersection.” Just to make things clearer, the part of the statute relating to the red light that immediately follows the yellow says, “Vehicular traffic facing a steady red signal shall stop…” before yielding to pedestrians, making a right turn on red,Ā or making a left turn on red (where permitted). In other words, yellow means prepare to stop.
According to ‘Trooper Steve’ Montiero, a Florida Highway Patrol Public Affairs Officer providing traffic safety commentary on Orlando’s Channel 6, “…the yellow light is not the accelerate light…,” further explaining that if the light has been yellow for a while, you should not be accelerating through it, but should yield to it, since the red light is next. However, he does state that if the yellow just came on and the car behind you is not slowing down, you may be justified in going through the yellow light to prevent your vehicle from being rear-ended.
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What else should you know about running lights in Florida?
Red traffic light against blue sky – Blue Traffic Light/Shutterstock
The real issue about running a yellow light in Florida is that there’s a very fine line between running a yellow light and running a red light. Running a red light can have serious legal and financial consequences for the driver involved. While it may be legal for motorcycles to run red lights in certain states, Florida is not one of them.
In Florida, the costs of getting a red-light ticket are $158 for a red-light camera citation, while costs can go up as high as $262 for a citation issued by a police officer, which also results in points on your license, possible suspension of that license, and higher insurance rates.Ā Then there are the many downsides you face in the event of an accident caused by running that red light. We are talking about you being on the hook for all the damages caused by that accident, including property damage, medical expenses, pain, suffering, lost income, and even punitive damages if you are found to have acted recklessly.
There are several strategies you can adopt to avoid being in a position where you have to run a red light. These include slowing your car down when you see a yellow instead of accelerating, eliminating distractions like texting while driving, knowing your local traffic laws well, and yielding to approaching traffic as well as pedestrians. It is also helpful to know theseĀ seven safety tips for driving at night.
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