RED Light jumpers!!

[slippeddisc]

I have only see this twice first hand (from motorists, that is - my lycra buddies (they're not REALLY my buddies) do it most of the time!!).

The frirst time:

I was approaching a series of traffic lights, two lane approach. I was in L1, and ahead was a Mondeo in L2. The lights phased from Green to Amber as he was approaching and went from Amber to Read about 1.5 seconds before the Mondeo crossed the line. Illegal, but not the most unsafe piece of driving I have been witness to on the roads. He was carrying a fair turn of speed (I'd guess about 25-30 MPH) and was through the lights and clear of the junction before the cars in the adacent junction who were probably Red+Amber (i.e. prepare to go) were just starting to move.

The second time:

Chav boy racer was bored (I assume) and just drove off through the red light (he was obviously first in the line) when he saw that there was no more traffic coming from the other junction. In other words, he treated it like a give way I suppose.

Not sure why, but the second incident really annoyed me. I was forever muttering about young drivers and taking chances etc etc.

I may (yes, may, officer!) have gone through a red light that had only JUST changed to red when I was literately feet away from the line. My excuse was my mind was elsewhere (driving to hospital, missus going into labour).

Bloody disgusting business, childbirth is. Wish I was late now

/edited to add: Just to clarify the above: the missus wasn't actually IN the car with me when this happened, she was already at the hospital with the IOB (interfering old bag, a.k.a. MIL) and I was, obviously, driving to the hospital to witness the miracle of afterbirth etc. I got to play the gentleman when MIL feinted. Joy.

[jont]

The second time:

Chav boy racer was bored (I assume) and just drove off through the red light (he was obviously first in the line) when he saw that there was no more traffic coming from the other junction. In other words, he treated it like a give way I suppose.

Not sure why, but the second incident really annoyed me. I was forever muttering about young drivers and taking chances etc etc.

I quite sympathise with the chav. I find it infuriating being sat at a red light (usually at roundabouts) where it's perfectly clear to see there's no other traffic around and the only person being inconvenienced is you, waiting for nothing I really can't understand why we don't have the flashing amber system as used in France overnight.

[GJD]

Not sure why, but the second incident really annoyed me. I was forever muttering about young drivers and taking chances etc etc.

I'm with jont. Much more sympathy for your second driver. If he had checked it was clear first he wasn't taking any chances at all (other than the chance of being prosecuted, which is entirely up to him). I might have got annoyed at the traffic light holding me up while nobody was waiting. I might have got annoyed at myself for not having the gumption to make a stand for common sense and treat the red light like a give way myself. But I can't imagine I'd have got annoyed at the other driver.

The first driver you described on the other hand - was he certain that he wasn't going to arrive just after the nick of time? Could he be confident the waiting traffic wasn't about to jump their own red light having seen his go to red? Carrying that speed was he definitely able to stop in the distance he could reasonabl;y expect to remain clear? Maybe the answer was 'yes' to all of the above, but it sounds a lot more risky than what your boy racer did.

[martine]

Bloody disgusting business, childbirth is. Wish I was late now

/edited to add: Just to clarify the above: the missus wasn't actually IN the car with me when this happened, she was already at the hospital with the IOB (interfering old bag, a.k.a. MIL) and I was, obviously, driving to the hospital to witness the miracle of afterbirth etc. I got to play the gentleman when MIL feinted. Joy.

[slippeddisc]

Not sure why, but the second incident really annoyed me. I was forever muttering about young drivers and taking chances etc etc.

I'm with jont. Much more sympathy for your second driver. If he had checked it was clear first he wasn't taking any chances at all (other than the chance of being prosecuted, which is entirely up to him). I might have got annoyed at the traffic light holding me up while nobody was waiting. I might have got annoyed at myself for not having the gumption to make a stand for common sense and treat the red light like a give way myself. But I can't imagine I'd have got annoyed at the other driver.

Don't get me wrong - in hindsight it doesn't really bother me and I can fully understand why he did what he did. Just at the time, for some reason, I was livid. I kicked the cat when I returned home that night, I tell ya! (it's OK, t'was the neighbour's cat!).

The first driver you described on the other hand - was he certain that he wasn't going to arrive just after the nick of time? Could he be confident the waiting traffic wasn't about to jump their own red light having seen his go to red? Carrying that speed was he definitely able to stop in the distance he could reasonabl;y expect to remain clear? Maybe the answer was 'yes' to all of the above, but it sounds a lot more risky than what your boy racer did.

I wouldn't like to call it, to be honest. He made no attempt to slow down/stop. It was as if he either knew he was going to easily sail through the junction without hinderance, or he wasn't paying attention.

I would say that his actions were unsafe, yes, but not the most unsafe action I have seen during my driving career by a country mile.

I would imagine, on thinking about it, that the Mondeo man wasn't paying attention. He certainly didn't appear to speed up on final approach (then again I was slowing, so he would appear to be pulling away regardless). It was more of a light-go-red-just-before-wheels-cross-line job. Perhaps my estimation of 1.5 seconds was a wee bit too long? Definately red before the nose of his car crossed the line though.

[MGF]

I have always wondered why people - myself included - find it easier to safely break the speed limit than to safely go through a red light. One doesn't appear to be more anti-social than the other and the penalties for getting caught are generally similar and sometimes worse for speeding.

[7db]

One is a bit more obvious than the other is the only explanation that I've been able to come up with in years asking that question.

[GJD]

I have always wondered why people - myself included - find it easier to safely break the speed limit than to safely go through a red light.

I think it's to do with the very different ways red lights and speed limits interfere with one's driving. A red light briefly interferes with when I get to do some driving. A speed limit continuously interferes with how I get to do some driving.

I find the second a far greater imposition than the first. With a red light the choice is: break the law and do some driving now, vs obey the law and do some driving in 30 seconds time. With a speed limit the choice is: break the law and do some driving the way I want to do it, vs obey the law and not be able to drive the way I want to.

[morsing]

I come off at the M25/A1(M) roundabout every morning turning east to north, and people coming form my left continue to go until 2 secs after it's gone red. This includes artics and buses...

Cycle lanes should be kerbed and properly continued through junctions and other obstructions. The road designers could learn a lot form a trip to Denmark but motorists also need to be nicer to cyclist. Couldn't believe this morning when I held back turning left off a road because a cyclist going with traffic was approaching, the driver behind me went crazy started shouting and hand-signalling in the car. After 2-3 secs as the cyclist was crossing the side road, the driver got that crazed "RIGHT!" look and made a move to open the door and get out to give me a good kicking. I calmly drove off... 20m later, turning into my fortunately gated and security guarded workplace, he rolled his window down and shouted abuse at me...

I gotta have some recording cameras installed in the car soon...

[7db]

Wow. You do bring out the best in people, morsing.

[morsing]

Wow. You do bring out the best in people, morsing.

Apparently

[7db]

Do you think there's anything you're doing that encourages them to be mentalists?

[morsing]

Do you think there's anything you're doing that encourages them to be mentalists?

Stopping for cyclists? Driving an older car?

Apart from the cyclist story, what else do you have? Or are you never being tail gated?

EDIT: 7db, do you think I shouldn't have let the cyclist pass? Or that I did it wrong?

[7db]

I've only ever seen two posts from you -- the cyclist story and the on-slip. I have no idea what happened in either case as I wasn't there. But it does seem that you have a bit of bad luck in terms of bringing out the worst in other drivers. That's why I observed the same.

If I could ask the moron behind you what he thought, what would he say?

[morsing]

I've only ever seen two posts from you -- the cyclist story and the on-slip. I have no idea what happened in either case as I wasn't there. But it does seem that you have a bit of bad luck in terms of bringing out the worst in other drivers. That's why I observed the same.

If I could ask the moron behind you what he thought, what would he say?

The slip-road question was generic, how to best enter lane 1 when your view is obstructed. Not specifically about upsetting people, just asking because it does happen to me and I find it un-pleasant. The guy behind me this morning was slapping his wrist watch so I'm guessing he was politely reminding me that he had to get to work and didn't have time to wait for cyclists? Not that they ever have to go to work...?!

7db, I'm here to learn so feel free to advise me if you spot that I do something wrong.