Officer's Signal at a Failed Traffic Light
It is 5:40 p.m. on a Friday in Half Way Tree, Kingston. The traffic lights at a four-way junction are dark because of a power cut. A police officer in a high-visibility vest is standing in the middle of the junction. As you approach westbound in the left lane, the officer faces you, raises an open palm toward you, then sweeps the hand across the junction, indicating you should proceed. At the same moment, a pedestrian steps onto the zebra crossing on your left, and the driver of a maxi taxi behind you sounds the horn and edges forward. Your view of the far side of the junction is partly blocked by a stopped bus. The road surface is wet from afternoon rain. You are driving a private motor car and are alone.
1. Whose instruction must you follow at this junction, and why?
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The officer's directions control the junction. A dark signal is not permission to proceed; it means the normal signal is not working, so you fall back on the general rules and any authorised person's directions. In Jamaica, a police officer in uniform directing traffic has authority over the lights, signs and markings, so the red light (if it were lit) and the impatient maxi taxi do not override the officer. But obedience is not blind: you must still proceed only when it is safe, because the officer is directing traffic, not guaranteeing that the pedestrian has stopped. The correct sequence is to acknowledge the situation, remain stopped until you understand the signal, then move at walking pace while checking the crossing and the blind far side.
2. Describe exactly how you should move through the junction, including what you do about the pedestrian and the blocked view.
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Move off slowly in first gear, with both hands on the wheel and your foot covering the brake. Before the front of the car reaches the crossing, check left for the pedestrian; a pedestrian already on the zebra crossing has priority, so stop and let them clear even though the officer has waved you on. Make eye contact with the officer if possible. As you enter the junction, do not follow the bus closely; the stopped bus blocks your view of traffic coming from the right, so creep forward until you can see past it. Be ready for a vehicle that ignores the officer. Cross only when you can see a clear path out on the far side; do not stop in the middle of the junction.
3. What should you do if the officer's hand signal is unclear or appears to conflict with another officer's signal?
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If the signal is unclear, or two officers appear to give conflicting directions, stop and wait rather than guess. Keep your vehicle stationary, switch on your hazard lights if you are a hazard, and try to make eye contact with the officer. If necessary, lower the window and ask. Do not wave other drivers through, and do not follow the car in front simply because it moved. A wrong guess at a dark junction can put pedestrians and cross-traffic at risk.