near miss

barnaclebill

crossing at a light controlled crossing on a busy road about 18:00 hrs, lights go to red, car coming from my right stops I begin crossing, car coming from left I hear revs increase and I stop as this car zooms past me. I hear the woman crossing behind me say "o my god" and I continue to the other side of the road feeling lucky I had not rushed across.
Looked at the car but too far off to get it's plate.

marcarm

Happened to me years ago, was starting to cross and someone coming from my left didn't stop and nearly hit me. They were on the phone at the time but I think it was before it became an offence.

Unfortunately for them, waiting at the lights to my right was a police car, they asked if I was ok (which I was) said they had the reg plate and would be going round to have a word :rotfl:

Strider590

Might have panicked and jumped on the wrong pedal.

bigadaj

Strider590 wrote: »

Might have panicked and jumped on the wrong pedal.

Possible but I would bet on in attention or just doesn't care.

My commute into work last week meant I stopped at a light controlled crossing, three lanes of traffic and moving slowly before eight in the morning. Inside lane freed up a bit, lights were red, and a mini went straight through with people crossing a couple of feet away.

With the inattention point I wonder how many are checking or reacting to their sat navs - 'well it told me to go straight on, how was I to know that a red light means I should stop'.

Stoke

Strider590 wrote: »

Might have panicked and jumped on the wrong pedal.

Oh well that's ok then.

coffeehound

Same thing happened to me earlier in the week, but then red-light jumping is par for the course here.

Strider590

Stoke wrote: »

Oh well that's ok then.

It's not ok at all, it happens all the time with automatics and elderly drivers. If it was an elderly driver the Police aren't going to do anything, we do apparently have Cassie's law, but the Police are still afraid to act on it.

It's hard to imagine anyone deliberately tanking it through a pedestrian crossing in the way OP describes. To actually noticeably accelerate? Admittedly I can imagine an Audi driver doing this, but it doesn't sound right.

Stoke

Strider590 wrote: »

It's not ok at all, it happens all the time with automatics and elderly drivers. If it was an elderly driver the Police aren't going to do anything, we do apparently have Cassie's law, but the Police are still afraid to act on it.

It's hard to imagine anyone deliberately tanking it through a pedestrian crossing in the way OP describes. To actually noticeably accelerate? Admittedly I can imagine an Audi driver doing this, but it doesn't sound right.

As an Audi driver ( ), I can assure you that BMW drivers and Merc drivers are more likely to do it..... oh and Volvo drivers, but that's because they're bad drivers rather than mean-spirited.

coffeehound

Light-jumper here was a souped-up VW Golf

NBLondon

Strider590 wrote: »

It's hard to imagine anyone deliberately tanking it through a pedestrian crossing in the way OP describes. To actually noticeably accelerate?

If they saw the gap open up ahead and didn't actually register there was a crossing there? How long had it been red? I do see quite a few do it in Central London - possibly a mix of not paying attention or just not wanting to wait another cycle of lights. Then there's the cyclists of course...

boliston

this story sounds made up as everyone knows that only cyclists ever go through red lights