Remember Nathan Siegel?

In April,

because he entered an intersection while waiting to turn left during a flashing yellow arrow.

As I pointed out then, it’s hard to fault the kid, since state law regulating traffic at such turns is as murky as the Willamette River in late spring.

No more.

After reading the column,

decided to clarify the law as part of

.

The bill, which is on its way to Gov. John Kitzhaber for a signature, would allow motorists to “cautiously enter the intersection only to make the movement indicated by the flashing yellow arrow signal.” Drivers must still yield to oncoming traffic before turning left.

SB 130 started as a bill to add bicycle-only signals to Oregon's list of traffic control devices. Reed added the amendment to clear up confusion about how to treat the flashing yellow arrows.

The bill also allows vehicles to creep into intersections while waiting to make a “movement permitted by other signals shown at the same time.”

Siegel’s mom, Kris Alman, taught her son that it was OK to slowly pull into an intersection while waiting at a flashing yellow. But the tester told her that the boy should have stayed behind the stop line until he could turn safely. Police have also interpreted the law the same way.

As for Siegel, the 16-year-old returned to the DMV office and passed his driving test. The kid’s legal.