A mile from our house is a stoplight at the corner of two country roads. It works strictly on a time-based cycle, 24×7. No controlling sensors.
During the day, it’s no big deal because the intersection sees enough traffic that the cycle doesn’t feel off.
However, it’s maddening late at night.
Last night we came home late (for us). As we approached, the green turned yellow and then red. For no reason! Ours was the only car around for miles.
What would you do?
Here’s what I did and what I always do at this intersection late at night: First, I cursed to let the universe know what I thought of this travesty. Then, I stopped, looked both ways, and blew through the light.
Maybe your parents, like mine, instilled the sense of doing the right thing, even when nobody is watching. We’ve worked to instill this in our kids as well. It’s biblical.
But what is the right thing?
One way to look at it is that the law says you gotta stop and wait. So do it. Black and white.
Another way is to look at the intention. The purpose of this law is to regulate the flow of traffic safely. If no traffic exists to regulate, no traffic regulator is necessary.
Now think through this again, but replace “stoplight laws” with any other law. The letter of the law is important, but so is intention.
