@ielenia@ck.catwithaclari.net they always struck me as silly in design and implementation. if they just made them be continuously on (with a green light) that would solve a lot of confusion. A lot of drivers don’t know they’re there or operational until they suddenly spring into life with a yellow.

The blinking reds to signify “stop can be confusing but as a driver you should know what that means as they’re used in other settings (like 4-ways) That bit is a skill issue.

@NullNowhere@sakurajima.social so actually the "stop and proceed if clear" indicator is wrong - normally the alternating flashing is used in places where you should unconditionally stop and wait, like school buses and railroad crossings....

@ielenia@ck.catwithaclari.net hm. I’d like to say yes, but you could make the argument that those instances also come with specific other indicators. (namely crossing grades, stop sign + bus). The law treats them as specific exceptions. At least on their own, the RCWs are pretty clear.

Looking it up, the laws in question are RCW 46.61.065 “Flashing signals”, RCW 46.61.340, “Approaching railroad grade crossings”, RCW 46.37.190
“Warning devices on vehicles—Other drivers yield and stop” and RCW 46.61.370 “Overtaking or meeting school bus”

We could make a cultural argument, but I don’t have the time (or will) to look at other state laws and figure out what the “consensus” is.