Are Red Lights Optional?

[Saisonator]

I drive about 10 miles a day too and from work and not a great deal the rest of the time. The thing I have noticed is how often people jump red lights.
I can not go one day without seeing at last one red light jumper, on the way back from the vets just now I just got across an amber light on a busy roundabout at Heathrow, only to see in my mirror a van and a BMW follow on the red.
Are people naturally more lawless, have people realised that there are no police around so practically no chance of getting caught, is it another imported habit?
Is it like it round your way?

 

[Dads_Ale]

Definitely seem to be optional extras nowadays along with lane discipline and indicators.

OUT OF MY WAY I AM COMING THROUGH seems to be the motto these days

 

[Chippy_Tea]

We have two box junctions on the main road in town and it never ceases to amaze me how many people ignore them and happily sit on the lines knowing there is little chance of being caught.

.

 

[Ajhutch]

Didn't you see the update to the law? A red light now means you may only go through the junction for another 10 seconds.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[MrRook]

Where I live when the light turns red in going north and south it doesn't change to green going east and west for several seconds.

 

[Gunge]

Traffic lights mean nuthin' to me... I'm profoundly red/green colour blind.

 

[Thumper]

I live in London; a red light means "Oh go on, just three more then".

 

[Ciaran12s]

Being from northern Ireland and having moved to the greater Glasgow area, I've found the Scottish drivers tend to jump red lights all the time, whereas back home it's not that common.
Back home, by the time the light is green the traffic is moving. In Scotland the traffic tends to start moving as the light turns to red again so it's no wonder they get jumped all the time.

Bit of a generalisation but for the most part true, even the Mrs agreed, albeit reluctantly.

 

[goodolpete]

We have a large roundabout at the north end of the A5D thro Milton Keynes.
The lights are timed so parcels of traffic get onto the rbt from each
entrance, just enough so that entrances ahead are not blocked when
they have green. These b*ggers that jump the reds however subsequently
block the next entrance, so during rush hour you get gridlock.

 

[Cwrw666]

Doesn't seem to happen much out here in West Wales.

 

[Zakrabbit]

Traffic lights mean nuthin' to me... I'm profoundly red/green colour blind.

This was known to be an issue when they were first invented - which is why they are always a three lamp vertical stack, even though modern technology would allow a single multicolour unit. The three lamps are always in the same physical positions, so even if a driver is colour blind, or if a lamp fails,the status of the indication is still obvious.


I see at least one red light jumper on each commute - as do my front and rear cameras, which means the relevant police division also see it within 12h...

 

[Gunge]

I see at least one red light jumper on each commute - as do my front and rear cameras, which means the relevant police division also see it within 12h...

So it's you that keeps grassing me up?

 

[Piperbrew]

What is worse, is before seeing the red light they saw the red light they will have seen an amber light......which means....Stop....
I used to drive fire engines which were actually blue in colour...we were always mistaken for police vehicles. On a weekly basis we drove through London , often on 'blues and twos'...I could not believe the amount of boneheads that crossed our pass, knowing full well they were taking a chance and forcing us to brake. Not that funny when you have 17 tonne behind you.

 

[Gunge]

I never mean to jump the lights but sometimes it's so hard to stop in time, like when I'm doing a hunned an twenty on me motorbike.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I thought amber meant get ready to stop not stop.

.

 

[Piperbrew]

I thought amber meant get ready to stop not stop.

.[/QUOTE


So did I until three weeks ago. It was made very clear it meant stop on my 'bad boys driving awareness course' :nono:....Defo classed as stop, hence why they might be removing it from the light sequence. I think the only get ready part is flashing amber?

Basically amber means stop it safe to do so, hence it you go through on an amber and didn't hit someone it was in fact safe and you could have stopped. It is in the sequence as a safety margin.

 

[dad_of_jon]

A friend of mine was stopped a long time ago (when police patrols were more widespread than they are today) for going through late on a light.

P: could you tell me the sequence of lights sir?

F: yes officer, red, red & amber, then green

P: and what comes after that ?

F: I don't know i'm usually gone by then :lol:

 

[Gunge]

'Bad boys driving awareness course' lol. I've been on one of those. It was either go to court and take the punishment and points on license / plead guilty, pay the fine and get points on license / go on the course for £70ish and get no points on license. I chose the latter but boy I can think of better ways to spend 4 hours.

 

[Duxuk]

'Bad boys driving awareness course' lol. I've been on one of those. It was either go to court and take the punishment and points on license / plead guilty, pay the fine and get points on license / go on the course for �£70ish and get no points on license. I chose the latter but boy I can think of better ways to spend 4 hours.

I did this when it was being trialed in Lancashire in 1999. I did it on a scooter so I got a ride to a bike dealer in Blackburn, a brew then rode back. I think it did change my attitude to speeding. I haven't had a point on my licence since.

 

[Gunge]

I did this when it was being trialed in Lancashire in 1999. I did it on a scooter so I got a ride to a bike dealer in Blackburn, a brew then rode back. I think it did change my attitude to speeding. I haven't had a point on my licence since.

Everyone, but everyone who drives a car/ rides a motorbike occasionally and completely unintentionally breaks the speed limit from time to time. I've had my license for 35 years and have been busted just the once!