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A power outage occurred Sunday evening, April 29th around 7:50 pm that affected several blocks around Sunshine and Campbell in Springfield. A member of our Springfield Traffic Tickets team was driving past Bass Pro Shops and noticed that the power was out along several businesses along Sunshine, including McDonald’s, Starbucks and Chic-fil-A. Due to the power outage, traffic lights went black for approximately 15-20 minutes.
A widespread power outage such as this one can drastically increase the chances of being in a car crash. City Utilities and Springfield Police are not legally at fault if you are involved in an accident during any traffic light outage. Inattentive drivers are ultimately liable for any accident that may occur. Luckily, we didn’t see any car accidents last night. However, it was noticeable that drivers were distraught when approaching the intersection of Sunshine and Campbell without knowing who had the right-of-way.
If you ever encounter an intersection while traffic lights are down, treat the intersection as if it’s a four-way stop whenever traffic lights are flashing or out completely. This is the safest way to avoid being involved in a car accident or ticket by police. To stay updated on any future power outages in Springfield, Missouri, visit the City Utilities Outage Map.
Right-Of-Way Rules at an Intersection
- Drivers must yield where necessary to avoid striking pedestrians who are legally crossing the road.
- Drivers crossing a sidewalk, entering or exiting a driveway, alley or parking lot must yield to pedestrians. It is illegal to drive on a sidewalk except to cross.
- Drivers turning left must yield to oncoming vehicles going straight.
- At a four-way stop, the driver reaching the intersection first may proceed before the other drivers (after coming to a complete stop).
- Drivers entering a road from a driveway, alley, or roadside must yield to vehicles already on the main road.
- At an intersection where there is no stop sign or traffic signal (with the exception of roundabouts), drivers must yield to vehicles coming from the right.
- When approaching a roundabout intersection, always yield to traffic in the circle and pedestrians in the crosswalks. Wait for a gap in traffic before entering.