Amarillo, We Need To Stop With The Frustrating Surprise Four-Way Stops

On more than one occasion this week in Amarillo, Texas, many motorists have found themselves at the mercy of one of the most frustrating things that can happen in a city where people drive like it's their first day behind the wheel. It wouldn't be so bad if it didn't happen on heavily traveled roads. Now, we have people who get their news from TikTok trying to figure out how to operate a four-way stop at a traffic light.

Work Is Being Done On Traffic Lights In Amarillo, Texas

The good news is that the traffic lights aren't going haywire. You'll see crews working on the lights when you approach; most of the time. Fingers crossed this resolves to some of the odd moments when someone in the left turn lane gets left sitting there an extra round while everyone else gets a chance to go. Not to point fingers, but the intersection at Bell Street and 34th is notorious for it in the early morning hours.

Over the past couple of weeks, perhaps even longer, many of us have been surprised to find ourselves stuck at an intersection where all the lights are flashing red. I understand that this is a bit of an odd occurrence. You don't see it every day. However, it shouldn't lead to the insanity that it often does.

What To Do When All Four Traffic Lights Are Flashing Red

I honestly can't believe I'm going to do this. Here is what to do at an intersection with all flashing red lights.

The first thing you want to do is STOP. Just like at a regular red light or stop sign, you must come to a complete stop. Once you have stopped your vehicle from entering the intersection prematurely and causing a small apocalypse, you move on to step two.

The second thing you do is observe regular right-of-way rules. It's pretty simple. You arrived last, so everyone can go before you do. You don't stop and then immediately go. It would help if you waited your turn like you were waiting to get a drink from the water fountain in kindergarten. Remember kindergarten? We all learned about sharing and taking turns. Think hard. It will come back to you.

That's it. Those two things are all you need to do; stop and observe the usual right-of-way rules. Here's a link to DriversEd.com just in case you don't believe me. There are no rules that say if you're turning left you can go whenever you want. You definitely don't stop and immediately go. God help you if you don't stop at all.