What to do at a broken traffic light

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WOWK) — The tri-state area is no stranger to power outages as Spring brings powerful storms through the region, but one unforeseen consequence is all the traffic lights going dark.

Traffic lights are one of the most basic components of traffic control, so what do you do without them?

According to a post on the Beckley Police Department Facebook page , when a traffic light has gone out, the correct thing for drivers to do is treat each approach like a stop sign. This means that everyone stops at their respective line, or before entering the intersection, and the person who arrived first gets the go ahead like a normal intersection that uses stop signs.

The exception to this rule is if there are officials on scene directing the flow of traffic themselves or there are portable stop signs placed on certain approaches, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation .

In the case of a flashing signal, red also means to use the intersection like a stop sign while yellow means proceed with caution.

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