Question: A few Monday mornings ago, as I passed Ontario High School and approached an intersection, I realized that the green signal light was flashing. I looked again, thinking I was seeing things (as I think other drivers were doing, since all the traffic came to a halt). In the 20-plus years I have been driving, I have never seen flashing green lights.

I crossed the intersection, then heard and saw an approaching police car with lights and sirens in full force. I looked in my rear-view mirror and saw the green light still flashing, then I watched as the police car moved through the intersection and the lights became solid green.

I am assuming the police car was able to control the intersection signal light. Am I correct?
- Louise Shane, Ontario

Answer: Made you look, didn't it, Louise? Well, that is exactly what the officer in the police car that activated the light wanted you to do.

Many emergency agencies, including the fire and police departments, have the ability to remotely interrupt traffic signals from inside their vehicles. It may be hard to believe, but the authorities have found that many people think that a yellow light means "go faster." The flashing green light is turned on to elicit the exact response you gave - it lets you know that you can go, but heightens your level of awareness and caution for the emergency vehicle that is forthcoming.

Question: I was watching the cable television show "Nip/Tuck" the other day, and one of the plastic surgeons on the show was saying that he had bought a sports car with a video player in the dashboard to keep him entertained while he was driving. Is this TV fantasy, or is this legal?
- Carrie Carnes, Rancho Cucamonga

Answer: Chalk that one up to some overzealous television writer's imagination, Carrie. It is illegal to drive a vehicle that has any unauthorized video screen or TV monitor within the driver's field of vision.

Question: I'd like to get your thoughts on a behavior that my wife and I have noticed that seems to be increasing at an alarming rate. I'm speaking of those moron drivers who seem to think that the HOV lane is their personal express lane.

These drivers think hooking on to the bumper in front of them will get them to their destination faster. Then, if a legal HOV entrance/exit doesn't appear in a timely fashion, they have no qualms about simply crossing the double-double yellow into the first lane to pass.

I truly wish there was something Joe Driver could do that would have an immediate impact on these types of drivers. Assuming you were able to take down license plate numbers, is there any way to file a report?
- Ed Krimmer, Fontana

Answer: There is very little the authorities can do if they do not witness the violations, Ed.

Many people seem to think that speed limit laws and safe driving practices no longer apply once they have earned the right to enter the car-pool lane. You and I might not be around to see it, but I believe the time will come when these drivers have to face the consequences of their dangerous driving habits. We can only hope that they don't make innocent others pay at the same time.

Question: A close friend of mine was injured when a cement mixer being towed behind a contractor's truck came loose. It had no lights or license, so he was never able to determine who the owner was. Why is this allowed?
- Tim Abney, San Bernardino

Answer: Drivers towing construction equipment without a DMV-issued special equipment license plate can be cited, Tim. However, the requirement for taillights only applies if the equipment is going to be towed after dark.

I spotted this clever license plate on a Prius whose driver was happily commuting alone in the car-pool lane on the 210 freeway: NVMYPG.

Michelle Groh-Gordy is the owner of InterActive! Traffic School Online at www.trafficinteractive.com , and writes a syndicated weekly column on driving for the publications of the Los Angeles Newspaper Group.