Got flashed going through a red light. Please help

Lum

Was it one flash or two?

Red light cameras flash twice, 0.5 seconds apart, producing two photographs.
The photographs will show both that you crossed the stop line and that you were actually moving. They can also calculate your speed from this.

The flashes are also very very fast and short lived, like a flash on.. well a camera.

If you only got flashed once it was not the red light camera, and even if it was the picture it produced would not be usable.


And I do wish some of the people giving the OP a hard time would remember what it was like being a teenager and new to driving. It's long bemoaned that the driving test does not adequately prepare youngsters to be out on the road, so it's a bit unfair to give him crap over a poor decision made in difficult circumstances.


So here's some actual useful advice for this sort of situation. It applies more to faster roads, not 30 limits like that one, but much of it is still useful in a 30.

If the car behind is so close that it is making you uncomfortable. Firstly do not do something to wind them up, such as slowing down or slamming on the brakes, do not speed up either, unless you were going to speed up anyway. Do not exceed the speed limit or drive at a speed you are uncomfortable at just because of the idiot behind.

If they look like they want to get past you then just let them.. if it's a single carriageway road, move over to the left to indicate that you're happy to be overtaken.

If you can't get rid of them that way then congratulations, you now have to manage their stopping distance for them. You should already know what your minimum safe following distance is, so double it. By doing this you should never have to brake hard and even in an emergency situation you can brake more gently giving the idiot behind time to notice and not drive into you.

The increased gap you leave my also finally encourage them to overtake you.

For traffic lights, unless you have actually seen it change to green, and know roughly how long it stays on green for, consider the light to be "dirty" and liable to change at any moment.

Treat amber as if it were red. Make your decision on whether to stop or go as soon as it changes to amber. If you can safely stop do so even if you think you might be able to make it through before it changes to red. People who don't do this are called "amber gamblers" but these days they are gambling a few seconds of time vs their continued ability to drive. That's not good odds.

spadoosh

Op get a grip and get some responsibility.

Youve tried blaming other people yet say you know its your fault!?

No its solely your fault. You ARE a danger to other road users and punishments are in place to try an prevent you being a danger to others again.

If your driving in a 30 zone, you should easily be able to stop the car before the junction about 15 metres before the lights (about 3 cars length and have enough stopping distance beyond the lights to make a full stop before blocking any traffic.

For future reference, and i say this to try and protect you, not whing and have a go. But it is YOUR car, YOU are the driver and YOU have the responsibility. The fact of the matter is had you killed someone you would likely be facing a jail sentence. You are responsible for the safety of everyone around you as your vehicle is more likely to seriously damage someone/thing.


Please accept it was your fault, you are liable and you need to improve that aspect of your drving (anticipation and awareness). If you can get away with no fine then take that as a bonus but you really need to improve your driving (from what you say not to mention your slopey shoulder attitude towards the responsibility.) if you want any hope of avoding a major accident.

TrickyWicky

Lum wrote: »

remember what it was like being a teenager and new to driving.

No idea on that I'm afraid. My small family was so busy milking me of every penny possible I never learned to drive until I was 26/7 and by that time I was in such a **** of a situation, someone paid for me to learn. I value my licence more than most people would ever value their weekly wage. In my first two years I drove like a saint. I was terrified of loosing it and letting down the person who supported me. My scare with a Gatso probably reenforced that careful driving.

Lum wrote: »

It's long bemoaned that the driving test does not adequately prepare youngsters to be out on the road, so it's a bit unfair to give him crap over a poor decision made in difficult circumstances.

I don't know when you passed your test but actually yes it does adequately prepare you for a lot including traffic lights. The main emphasis these days is drive carefully and according to the road conditions. If you're not sure, slow down. Not thrash the ***s off the engine trying to get from A => B as fast as possible while ensuring the boy racer behind doesn't get past you! Sure there are things it doesn't prepare you for - motorways for instance but I can assure you that your instructor DOES prepare you for dealing with traffic lights. Not the 'driving test' as you put it, the INSTRUCTOR - over many weeks in fact!

At the end of the day, the op doesn't even have a letter yet so I personally think that they're worrying too early. Like you said, it may not of even been a red light camera. One things for sure though, I bet the op will learn from this - thats probably the best experience for them.

Wongsky

andygb wrote: »

A lot of information to take in considering it was very dark. I would suggest that the OP was not paying attention to the road ahead, their speed, and was going too fast to stop at the traffic lights.

All that may be true - but the car may have been behind him for a while, explaining why he states a few things about the following car.

jaydeeuk1

Maybe OP identified car from shape of headlights? Its a game I always play at night, guess the make/model of car based on front or rear lights. I'm bloody good at it too. And makes me realise how some cars, particularly volvos and audis, look so much better at night!

mikey72

TrueUnitedFan wrote: »

Oh grow up you clown and stop trolling.



I'm sure it was exactly that junction. Pretty sure.

I had a look here - http://www.wmsafetycameras.co.uk/regions_gmapi.php

and I couldn't seem to find any cameras of sort on that specific junction.

I just don't know what the flash was, maybe it was a car flashing me, but that flash was a flash that you just would not mistake for someone's headlights.

I just don't know... best to wait and see if anything arrives in the post. I hope not, I really do.

And if you're really lucky, it was the "boy racer" behind winding you even further by flashing you to make you think you had been caught by a camera.
After winding you up to go through.

Moral is, don't drive how they want you to, drive how you want to.
And if you do find you want to race, expect one day it'll be for real when they catch you.

TrickyWicky

jaydeeuk1 wrote: »

Maybe OP identified car from shape of headlights? Its a game I always play at night, guess the make/model of car based on front or rear lights. I'm bloody good at it too.

Well back in the 90's that was quite probable I used to do it myself as a school kid - it was the only way of passing the time walking to and from school. These days though there are many models that share the same headlights and tail light clusters that your claim is not really credit worthy.

I'm not trying to put you down, all I'm saying is that to be accurate at that game is not really possible anymore.

rev_henry

spadoosh wrote: »

Op get a grip and get some responsibility.

Youve tried blaming other people yet say you know its your fault!?

No its solely your fault. You ARE a danger to other road users and punishments are in place to try an prevent you being a danger to others again.

If your driving in a 30 zone, you should easily be able to stop the car before the junction about 15 metres before the lights (about 3 cars length and have enough stopping distance beyond the lights to make a full stop before blocking any traffic.

For future reference, and i say this to try and protect you, not whing and have a go. But it is YOUR car, YOU are the driver and YOU have the responsibility. The fact of the matter is had you killed someone you would likely be facing a jail sentence. You are responsible for the safety of everyone around you as your vehicle is more likely to seriously damage someone/thing.


Please accept it was your fault, you are liable and you need to improve that aspect of your drving (anticipation and awareness). If you can get away with no fine then take that as a bonus but you really need to improve your driving (from what you say not to mention your slopey shoulder attitude towards the responsibility.) if you want any hope of avoding a major accident.

Won't someone think of the children!!!

TrueUnitedFan

Could this work? Say I was selling the car, someone came to inquire about it and they showed me their licence and they said they were fully comp or had a trader's policy.. and I'm only 18, recently passed so don't really know the ins and outs of insurance, seemed legit and I let him test drive the car, though I couldn't remember the name I do have his number?

[Deleted User]

It could work, if it were true.

If it's not true, then you will be committing perjury, and attempting to pervert justice, for which you can be imprisoned.