Even The Michigan State Police Can’t Agree on What to Do at a Broken Stoplight

After a recent windstorm brought down power lines and wiped out traffic signals around Michigan, a familiar question arose - what to do when you're driving and you come upon  dark traffic light. Surprisingly, even the Michigan State Police don't agree on the proper course of action.

What Michigan State Police say in Detroit: It's NOT a 4-Way Stop

Fox 2 in Detroit reports the Michigan State Police Metro Detroit Division as asking drivers to treat a intersection with a broken light NOT has a 4-way stop but rather refer to Michigan law's "basic right-of-way requirements" which has drivers on the road that has a lower amount of traffic yielding to drivers on the road with higher amounts of traffic.

Okay - that might work as some intersections, but there are many where the amount of traffic on the intersecting roads would be equally heavy. What then?

What Michigan State Police say in Grand Rapids: It's a 4-Way Stop

Across the state in Grand Rapids, a Michigan State Police officer told WOOD-TV 8 something completely different - drivers should treat all intersections as a 4-way stop. The reporter asks the officer about higher traffic roads, like the Beltline around Grand Rapids. The officer, appearing to contradict his colleagues in Detroit, states that a driver on the busier Beltline should come to a stop at every intersecting road.

What Should You Do?

Who knows? I would tend to agree with the Grand Rapids-based officer and would continue to treat such intersections as 4-way stops. But perhaps that's my west-side-of-the-state bias.

BONUS VIDEO - The 1 Little Caesars in Michigan That Serves Breakfast