HELP with unique accident

Dean000000

I think your pal is in the wrong.

Quite clearly there was traffic coming though - and decided that upon green to go for it - despite there being traffic still coming though.

Peoples is dumb....

EssexExile

How do you have an accident driving down half of a narrow residential street? Was no one looking where they were going?

Nearly_Old

Manxman_in_exile wrote: »

Part of the problem is the timing of the lights as they often seem to be on red for an inordinate amount of time.

When driving a car/van/etc it can seem like a long time but on normal roads the red time has to allow for all types of traffic including cyclists/equestrian/etc who need more time than a car.

Bonniepurple

Norman_Castle wrote: »

Unfortunately you're right. A local set of lights at a T junction in a busy area regularly has red light jumpers blocking the road. I'm not a big fan of cameras but wouldn't be surprised if they become more common at traffic lights.

There is one set of traffic lights where I used to live which have been the scene of many accidents. The solution has been to reduce the speed limit. I suspect cameras would be more effective!

GotToChange

JamoLew wrote: »

The attitude nowadays at traffic lights seems to be - if it's green, it's my turn, I can go regardless if the way forward is clear.
The lights then turn red and you are stranded in the midst of the traffic flow rinse, repeat - instant traffic jam

Off topic slightly - but I agree....
A set of lights near me with busy main A road East to West, crossed bgy a smaller minor road. A fliter lane but no filter lights on E-W means you have to move forward and wait, usually being able to turn jut as the light changes, or else you will have to sit - causing an obstruction - through another sequence of the lights.


I have been through there many many times over the years, but last November I didn't move far enough forward so it was treated - by the camera - as going through a red light.


Got to do the Be A Better Driver Course next week

shaun_from_Africa

debtdebt wrote: »

It's impossible for traffic lights to show green on both sides. If there is an error, they shut down.

And Titanic was unsinkable.

Anything that's man made can go wrong and if the traffic lights are computer controlled, it would only need a small software glitch to cause a problem without the system shutting down.
Just look at the problems that NASA has had due to software related problems (Mars climate orbiter and the Ariane 501) and their programs had probably been checked multiple times by many different experts before being loaded onto the systems yet flaws were missed which lead to the loss of both craft.

facade

debtdebt wrote: »

It's impossible for traffic lights to show green on both sides. If there is an error, they shut down.

There could be a red bulb gone, so it appears they are not working, vandals could have unplugged it or another car can turn off their drive/pull away from parked in the middle of the section.



Oldies might remember when Alf killed Renee by flustering her to a panic stall in the middle of roadworks, then neatly stepping out of the car just as a lorry was about to hit it head on.

Car_54

shaun_from_Africa wrote: »

And Titanic was unsinkable.

Anything that's man made can go wrong and if the traffic lights are computer controlled, it would only need a small software glitch to cause a problem without the system shutting down.
Just look at the problems that NASA has had due to software related problems (Mars climate orbiter and the Ariane 501) and their programs had probably been checked multiple times by many different experts before being loaded onto the systems yet flaws were missed which lead to the loss of both craft.

I seem to remember from a previous life that the NASA software was so compex that it could never be comprehensively tested. Far too complex to be tested by humans, and writing software to do the testing was almost as big a task as the original. And then running such software to test all possible combinations of factors would take lifetimes.



Whatever, any software for controlling traffic lights is almost childishly simple by comparison.

marlot

Manxman_in_exile wrote: »

I see this all the time. Waiting at temporary lights and when they turn green you can't proceed because there's about half a dozen cars still coming towards you who have obviously decided to "chance it" when the lights their side have gone from green to amber/red...

They may not have gone through on red.



The lights clearly have to have a period where both ends are red. I'm assuming that period is set by whoever configures the lights. If they get it wrong there will still be cars coming through who haven't had time to clear the roadworks.


Coming back to OP. Green means you may proceed if the way ahead is clear. I reckon it will be 50:50.

marlot

debtdebt wrote: »

It's impossible for traffic lights to show green on both sides. If there is an error, they shut down.

Even if that was true, you can still have clashes, because it takes time for vehicles to get through the roadworks.


So the light may have been green when the taxi passed it.