Orange light

Orange light

The Ordinance on Road Signs and Signals (OSR) governs the signs, markings and advertising on roads and their approaches, the signs and instructions to be given by the police, and determines the measures and restrictions necessary for traffic.Article 68 of this ordinance states that a red light means "stop" and a green light means "free road". The yellow light (it is this colour according to the law, which no-one is supposed to ignore, and contrary to popular belief! If it follows the green light: stop for vehicles that can still stop before the intersection; if it appears at the same time as the red light: get ready to leave and wait for the green light to indicate that the road is clear. It should therefore be emphasised that, contrary to what many motorists seem to think, when it is the green light that is followed by amber, it is indeed advisable to stop as far as possible and not to speed up! In the same vein, when the amber light follows the red, it's a good idea to prepare to leave, but above all to wait for the green light to come on. In both cases, the amber light can be seen as an invitation to stop, and the Ordinance on traffic fines (OAO) stipulates a fine of CHF 250 for failing to observe a light signal, so it's not out of the question to be fined for failing to stop at the amber light when it was still perfectly possible to do so.It's also worth pointing out that accelerating to cross the light's stop line can result in you exceeding the speed limit, punishable by a fine, or even worse... Many speed cameras installed at junctions are equipped to measure compliance with light signals at the same time as speed limits, precisely to prevent this kind of dangerous behaviour. So, depending on where you were when the light changed colour, it's quite possible that your mother-in-law was right, as she always is.