Proceed with caution when traffic lights fail

To the editor:

Some motorists need to be reminded of what to do when traffic lights fail, such as during a power outage.

When an outage occurred at 32nd Street and Oakland Road a few weeks ago, I saw drivers plowing through the intersection without even slowing down. When an outage occurred at Johnson Avenue and Wiley Boulevard more recently, I was nearly slammed into by cross traffic from both directions, even though it should have been my turn to proceed through the intersection.

If the signals are not operating, motorists need to treat the intersection as a 4-way stop, yielding to whoever got there first or to the motorist on the right. Hopefully this reminder will prevent accidents, injuries and fatalities.

Steve Heckman

Cedar Rapids