Appropriate penalties for not going when the light turns green

[Jim]

You're a few cars back in a left turn lane at a busy intersection, and you know that once that arrow turns green you will make it on this light cycle, but only if everyone is paying attention and gets going pretty quickly. It turns green, and the driver at the front is texting or talking or otherwise just not paying attention.  You have the power to dole out an appropriate penalty based on the number seconds of not moving after the green.  What penalties do you apply and for what delays?

I'm thinking penalties could range from nothing for under 2 seconds, because that's probably better than the typical 2024 driver, to a sliding scale of fines for 3-5 seconds, to confiscation of your phone over 5 seconds, to suspension of your license if multiple people have to honk at you before you wake up, to, if you make me miss the cycle, jail time.  No capital punishment until you make me miss two cycles.

[formulanone]

...to suspension of your license if multiple people have to honk at you before you wake up, to, if you make me miss the cycle, jail time.  No capital punishment until you make me miss two cycles.

OK, who hijacked Jim's account?

[Jim]

Just an especially annoying driver I shared the road with for a bit this afternoon.  Also, if you stop in a parking lot, maybe you stop in parking spots.

[hotdogPi]

What if your car stalled?

[Big John]

What if your car stalled?

Put on your flashing hazard lights.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Yesterday I was driving and a woman taking pictures in the street apparently with zero situational awareness that she was standing in the fucking street prevented me from getting through a green light. She's lucky she didn't get a horn or road rage blasted up her ass from someone else.

[webny99]

If I'm waiting for a known problematic left turn, I'm quite quick with the horn, but I try to make sure it's just a soft friendly toot and not a long angry-sounding one.

I've also been known to honk for right turners who don't keep moving during the corresponding protected left phase. At one particular intersection (NY 104/Basket, for those curious), this can be the difference between being 2 miles down a wide open freeway, or stuck waiting not only for 50+ cars to clear, but then also being behind all those cars when you do finally make your turn.

[vdeane]

Obviously, if they make you miss the light, there is only one answer: challenge them to an Agni Kai!

No capital punishment until you make me miss two cycles.

And to think I thought this was the Perkins Union for a second.

[LilianaUwU]

I suggest giving the citizens rocket-propelled grenade launchers to shoot at green light laggers.

[Henry]

It would be the same as if you were running a red light/stop sign, but I'd make the penalty higher if they catch you using your cellphone. However, an exception could be made for stalled cars and breakdowns.

[Hunty2022]

If that front driver makes me miss over 2 cycles, I say their car and phone both get destroyed on the scene.

[LilianaUwU]

If that front driver makes me miss over 2 cycles, I say their car and phone both get destroyed on the scene.

Hence the suggestion for rocket launchers.

[Scott5114]

One squirt in the face from the spray bottle for every two seconds of delay.

[Hunty2022]

Also, if I miss over 5 cycles from this (probably asleep at this point) driver, any bed they've ever slept in or will sleep in gets destroyed, and they lose their right to sleep.

[snowc]

Oh boy, talk about irony.
Ever since I got my license last May, I always go to Walmart to do grocery pickup, and when the light turned green (when you exit onto 421), it IMMEDIATELY turned Yellow, then red! I drove up so fast and SLAMMED on my brakes when this happened.
Green lights? Well, this guy in front of me stalled his car and I honked on the horn. That's what I did.
And then it goes back to red.
 

[snowc]

You're a few cars back in a left turn lane at a busy intersection, and you know that once that arrow turns green you will make it on this light cycle, but only if everyone is paying attention and gets going pretty quickly. It turns green, and the driver at the front is texting or talking or otherwise just not paying attention.  You have the power to dole out an appropriate penalty based on the number seconds of not moving after the green.  What penalties do you apply and for what delays?

I'm thinking penalties could range from nothing for under 2 seconds, because that's probably better than the typical 2024 driver, to a sliding scale of fines for 3-5 seconds, to confiscation of your phone over 5 seconds, to suspension of your license if multiple people have to honk at you before you wake up, to, if you make me miss the cycle, jail time.  No capital punishment until you make me miss two cycles.

One word. Honk on the horn.
That wakes up people.
Went up to NY one time, and the guy was sitting for 10 seconds at the light waiting to turn on "The Boulevard" and you know what my father did? HE honked the horn and proceeded like nothing happened.

[1995hoo]

^^^^

It never ceases to amaze me how many people do NOT honk anymore. Maybe they're all playing with their phones as well. Yesterday I was driving on FL-848 and I was probably fifth on line at a red light. The guy in front didn't move when it went green. I was the only person to start honking. My wife doesn't like it when I honk, especially when we're down here with the rather aggressive drivers that prevail in the Greater Miami area. But what are you supposed to do, just sit there obediently until this idiot wakes up? (A few minutes later, I blew the horn at a woman in a BMW SUV who was reading her phone and swerving all over the place, speeding up and slowing down constantly, etc. My horn made no impression on her. She was totally engrossed in her phone.)

[Jim]

Yes, I usually take the approach webny99 described to try to get their attention with a brief honk of the horn.  In yesterday's situation, I was a few cars back so I didn't but neither did any of the cars in front of me.  BTW, I didn't even miss the light cycle (though the yellow was getting pretty orange before I cleared the intersection) but I'd say a good 3 of the cars behind me that didn't go could have if our "leader" didn't wait what had to be a solid 5 seconds, probably closer to 8, before noticing the green arrow.

Related rant: I support enforcing hefty penalties for littering, especially when that littering is someone tossing their burning trash (lit cigarette) out the car window.  In the last few years, I am noticing a reversion back to the behaviors I recall from my childhood a few decades ago when it seemed to be acceptable and normal behavior to toss cigarettes out on the road, along with other various trash.  Does that seem to be happening more, or am I get getting grumpy as I get older?

[GaryV]

It never ceases to amaze me how many people do NOT honk anymore.

In some places, the response might be a gunshot.

And if you're 3 or 4 cars back in the line, it doesn't seem nice to honk. The guy in front of you can't do anything about it.

[Rothman]

It never ceases to amaze me how many people do NOT honk anymore.

In some places, the response might be a gunshot.

I'm finding this line to be the modern-day equivalent of the razor-blades-in-apples Halloween story.

[vdeane]

And if you're 3 or 4 cars back in the line, it doesn't seem nice to honk. The guy in front of you can't do anything about it.

The honk isn't meant for him, but for the bozo at the front of the line.

[triplemultiplex]

It never ceases to amaze me how many people do NOT honk anymore.

In some places, the response might be a gunshot.

I'm finding this line to be the modern-day equivalent of the razor-blades-in-apples Halloween story.

The proliferation of consumer dashcams has certainly managed to capture many real instances of pussies waving guns during a road rage incident.  One of my guilty pleasure things to watch on youtube is dashcam video compilations and there's a 'shots fired' one mixed in there every couple weeks.

[hbelkins]

Sounds like a lot of people here vying for the title of "Lord Carhorn II." 

[webny99]

And if you're 3 or 4 cars back in the line, it doesn't seem nice to honk. The guy in front of you can't do anything about it.

The honk isn't meant for him, but for the bozo at the front of the line.

The problem is that the person in front of you is most likely going to think it's intended for them, while the person it's meant for may have no idea where the honk even came from, much less that it's intended for them. There's still a chance it gets their attention, but it's usually at the expense of offending the driver directly in front of you.

It never ceases to amaze me how many people do NOT honk anymore.

In some places, the response might be a gunshot.

I'm finding this line to be the modern-day equivalent of the razor-blades-in-apples Halloween story.

Apparently, honking (and to a certain extent, road rage in general) is not a thing in Texas because of concealed carry.

And it is noticeable that drivers there are quite calm relative to drivers the Northeast. Even so, I still got honked at twice while driving there, both times for passing on the right and cutting in front of a left lane camper. Perhaps it was aggressive to them (i.e. they may not have thought they were left lane camping), but the supposed cutting them off wasn't even close enough to blink by NY standards. I chalked it up to the more relaxed driving mentality leading to complacency, since I found Texans to be pretty good about KRETP overall. I do wonder how those drivers would do on the Thruway - based on my experience, they'd be honking every couple of miles for the amount of passing on the right and cutting in that occurs on the reg... and with no regard for Texas-sized following distance.

[1995hoo]

So you're just supposed to sit there obediently for fear of offending someone? To hell with that. Why should I be stuck at a red light because some jackass won't look up from his phone?