Jumping a red light

mike1848

It is about time this" politically correct" thing was abollished, and common sense prevailed,"You`r damned if you do and damned if you don`t",if you went through a red light to let emergency vehicle pass and NOT causing a collision,ie, just go through and pull to left,then what is the fuss, if it was the judge`s house on fire,or any of his family in need of ambulance, then it would be a different matter,I should think.:T:T:T:mad::mad:

lilac_lady

I've noticed that more drivers than ever go through red lights now. Someone has to be the one who has to stop at traffic lights but some drivers have the "it doesn't mean me" syndrome.

DaveF327

Did the following car actually follow you through the red light? Or stop safely after all?

curly04

DaveF327 wrote: »

Did the following car actually follow you through the red light? Or stop safely after all?

He managed to stop but from what i could see he was over the line.

Thing is I do admit I jumped the light as I didnt want to cause an accident

anewman
I know the other person would have been at fault
but what if someone was hurt, If i had to have time off work, who would have paid the bills until i was paid out
What if the other driver was injured they wouldn't have been able to claim for injury.

it just wrong if to be punished for trying to do the right thing by not causing an accident.

curly04

lilac_lady wrote: »

I've noticed that more drivers than ever go through red lights now. Someone has to be the one who has to stop at traffic lights but some drivers have the "it doesn't mean me" syndrome.

I know what you are saying but if i'd sped up and gone through the light at 40mph or more I could understand you making this point!

I admit I did jump the light and the reason why.

I had a choice go or have an accident - what would have done

btw having worked in Motor claims for a long time and I can see how accident wreck lifes I would go again if I was in the same situation!

DaveF327

curly04 wrote: »

what if someone was hurt, If i had to have time off work, who would have paid the bills until i was paid out
What if the other driver was injured they wouldn't have been able to claim for injury.

The problem is, all the above is legal. Passing a red light is not.

curly04 wrote: »

Car behind me wasn't slowing quick enough

This is purely subjective. They might have slowed quicker had you stopped. It could be that you were overestimating their speed and risk of collision. A bit like the drivers who sit there for ages at junctions when the approaching traffic is miles away and three cars could have gone.

I would have had to do an emergencny stop to stop and I would have ended up in the middle of a busy juntions and if I hadn't set off again he would have hit me,

Again, purely subjective. If you had been showing brake lights as you slowed down from 40mph for green (which I'm sure you did, given your registered speed), then continued showing them during braking for the three seconds of amber, any following car will stop. This is how I've approached traffic lights for two decades now and never been rear-ended at a light yet.

Now when i passed my test in 1995the highway code stated (and I am going to check the wording for now)
If it is not safe to stop and it is safe to continue, then continue.

This is only for amber, not red. By the time red has shown, the law expects you to either be past the stop line or to have already stopped. There is absolutely no other legal defence unless you were driving an emergency vehicle.

curly04 wrote: »

btw having worked in Motor claims for a long time and I can see how accident wreck lifes I would go again if I was in the same situation!

The driver or pedestrian proceeding on green would pretty much have their lives wrecked if you jump a red at the wrong time.

Coblcris

"There is absolutely no other legal defence unless you were driving an emergency vehicle."

There is

or are instructed to do so by a police officer in uniform etc


Crossing the white line to allow ambulances and fire engines past will get you three points of it goes to court. Do not do it.

Bob_the_Saver

curly04 wrote: »

yeah a police fixed camera

I accept I jumped the red light

but it was for safety reasons didn't want someone going into the back of me!

Slow down before traffic lights, there is always the remote chance they will change!

cajef

curly04 wrote: »

I would have had to do an emergencny stop to stop

In which case you were too close the vehicle in front, try following the two second rule.

taffy056

Coblcris wrote: »

Crossing the white line to allow ambulances and fire engines past will get you three points of it goes to court. Do not do it.

A friend of mine got left off going through a red light because he moved for a emergency vehicle, and that was in court, so I guess even magistrates have common sense at times.