ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- In this week's Traffic Inbox, an astute viewer had a question about continuity in how we signal drivers. 

We all know a red light means stop -- but sometimes, so does a yellow light. 

Valeska Dykes lives on St. Pete Beach. As one of our top tourist and seasonal resident locations, the state has put a lot of effort into pedestrian safety. 

Yet, Dykes said it is rare to find drivers who will stop when the crossing signals are engaged. 

"They were just slowing down. And that's when I started paying more attention and I realized that a lot of people were not stopping," Dykes said. 

Through her neighborhood Facebook page, she expressed her concern, and was shocked to learn many people were confused based on the color of the crossing lights. 

"People were also mentioning that, well.... yellow means slow down and red means stop, so that's why they were very confused," she said. 

As a driver, the yellow, or amber signal, is our cue that the light is about to turn red and to clear the intersection. 

But as a pedestrian, we signal yellow and expect drivers to stop for foot traffic in the crosswalk. 

Turns out, there are two types of crossings. 

The mid-block ones along St. Pete Beach warn drivers the signal has been pushed and intends to cross. Drivers are expected to stop for anyone in the crosswalk, but may proceed slowly if as they arrive, foot traffic is already across or, for some reason, decided not to cross. 

There are other crossings which operate exactly like traffic signals, for example, the one along 16th Street South at Tropicana Field. That signal turns red because of the increased volume of pedestrian traffic headed to a Rays' game. 

While there may be confusion with some seasonal residents, the state says compliance with existing crossings is at well over 90 percent with the flashing amber beacons. 

They also said they would work with bike/walk Tampa Bay on an education message for the beach in the coming months.