CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) – Everyone dislikes traffic, but lawmakers say a bill currently being debated in the West Virginia House of Delegates could make one aspect of driving safer.
Legislators believe House Bill 2655 has the potential to protect West Virginia drivers. If passed, it would’require all stop lights in West Virginia to be reprogrammed to add a 3-second pause between when one set of lights turns red and the opposite set turns green.’
West Virginia Delegate Elliott Pritt (R-Fayette), the bill’s lead sponsor, says the pause is intended to prevent accidents by giving drivers more time to move away from the intersection before oncoming traffic moves forward.
He claims that his work as a Fayette County delegate brought him into contact with the issue of traffic and driver safety. He says that with events like Bridge Day attracting millions of people, he wants to protect West Virginia residents and out-of-state visitors while they drive on our roads.
\”We all have a responsibility to one another, and anything as simple as saving other people’s lives is a no-brainer for me. “Especially when the bill can be reworked with little to no fiscal impact,” says Pritt.
It is the second time the bill has been introduced. According to Pritt, opponents of the bill previously claimed that replacing all traffic lights at once would be expensive, but the bill could be reworked to reprogram lights as they require routine maintenance. This way, they could save money.
The bill is currently awaiting further action in the Energy and Public Works Committee.
