The 3-Second Yellow Light: A Systemic Failure in Road Signaling (Road Safety Briefing #1)
Year: 2026
Type: report
Abstract: This briefing presents a technical and legal analysis of the fixed 3-second yellow (amber) traffic-light interval used in Germany and other EU member states. It shows that a uniform 3-second amber can place the driver in a "dilemma zone" where neither safely stopping nor safely clearing the intersection is physically possible — and that penalising the driver for the outcome violates the legal principle impossibilium nulla obligatio est ("no one can be obliged to do the impossible"). The briefing argues for signal timing matched to vehicle speed and stopping distance. It is part of the "Don't Look Up" series of road-safety briefings addressed to the European Commission (DG MOVE), the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC), and the European Parliament's Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN).
Author: Fadur, Daniel
Language: English
Topic: Traffic and Road Safety
Subfield: Safety, Risk, Reliability and Quality
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7203558344