Does red light camera has a delay?

[Deleted User]

Approaching a light that has been green a while, if you know the area, you should never get caught out with a "sudden" change. In an unknown area, I ease off (as in lift foot off) if it's been on a while and I can see cars waiting at another junction especially as that is a huge clue lights may change ahead. Losing a minute of journey time and safely slowing is much better than burning it to the lights or a sudden slam on

Ermia

AdrianC said:

As far as awareness of the vehicles around you goes, if somebody suddenly covered your mirrors with no warning, and asked you to say what was there, would you be able to?

This is ideal in the long term, but I find it difficult to keep checking the mirrors as it gets me distracted from the front. Probably need to practice further. I do check mirrors when doing some left/right action, but maintaining a completely up-to-date mental vision of the mirrors is difficult.

Car_54 said:

1. No. You should always be aware of your normal stopping distance for the speed and conditions. That allows you to identify the "point of no return": if the lights change after you've passed that point, you should continue. In other words, you should have made the decision before the lights change, not after.

2. If you follow (1) the uncertaintly shouldn't arise. However, the key word is "safely". If you brake (not "break") harshly, will that be safe?

Accelerating on the approach to a junction is never correct practice.

That's very practical advice. Yeah, I should pre-process the situation and check the mirrors 4-5 seconds before the junction. Should be easy to get used to.

I remember in my red-light incident in A406, it was heavily raining and once the light got amber I was thinking how my car will stop on wet tarmac, and the thinking time got too much. Would have been easier if I had pre-processed the situation a couple of second earlier.

Jenni_D

I'm glad you're taking the advice of others in the way it was intended - to help you improve your driving skills. (Too many people throw their toys out of the pram at the thought of any criticism).

It's an old cliché but it does hold true ... you pass your test, and then the learning starts.

AdrianC

Ermia said:

AdrianC said:

As far as awareness of the vehicles around you goes, if somebody suddenly covered your mirrors with no warning, and asked you to say what was there, would you be able to?

This is ideal in the long term, but I find it difficult to keep checking the mirrors as it gets me distracted from the front. Probably need to practice further. I do check mirrors when doing some left/right action, but maintaining a completely up-to-date mental vision of the mirrors is difficult.

No, it really isn't difficult. It's a basic driving skill.

I'm surprised your driving instructor didn't do the "cover the mirror" thing... I seem to remember mine loved pulling it. His favourite trick was to tell me it was clear to pull out of junctions when it wasn't, to teach me to never trust a passenger's opinion.

ontheroad1970

You should look in your mirrors little and often in addition to looking before you change speed or direction.  Forewarned is forearmed.  It only takes an occasional quick glance.  Then on approach to lights you won't have to feel that you have to look for so long.  

Steve182

Car_54 said:

Ermia said:

I was driving overnight a few days ago and when I was approaching a junction, the light become amber. I thought I'm gonna make it and tried to accelerate, but my car isn't very agile, so the light became red exactly when I was on the line.

Are there any delays between the time the light gets red and when the camera gets activated? Even a second of delay would  mean I'm safe. 

Don't be so sure. The offence is committed if any part of the car crosses the line on red (or amber). You may have been exactly on the line, but there were still several feet of car following behind you.

I don't see how that works. The RAC say the same thing but don't distinguish between vehicle types. https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/cameras/traffic-light-cameras/

An articulated lorry travelling at 30mph will take about 1.5 seconds to pass a light from start to finish, 2.25 secs if travelling at only 20mph.

There would be no HGV drivers left on the road if that rule was enforced!

Username03725

I'd send your licence back and swap it for a provisional if I were you then take another course of lessons, then if you do squeak through another test immediately sign up for a Pass Plus or similar extended and additional driving course that teaches more than just the absolute basics that get you through the test.

The excuses for not using mirrors (too difficult!!!) and trying to race an amber light when you had enough time to assimilate the road conditions as potentially too wet to stop, suggests that you aren't actually up to the required standard.

And honestly, the word is brake. A car has brakes, when you hit the brakes you are braking, as you know full well from reading the Highway Code section on Braking Distances. When a car breaks, it needs fixing. If you're breaking, see a medical professional.

ontheroad1970

Username03725 said:

I'd send your licence back and swap it for a provisional if I were you then take another course of lessons, then if you do squeak through another test immediately sign up for a Pass Plus or similar extended and additional driving course that teaches more than just the absolute basics that get you through the test.

The excuses for not using mirrors (too difficult!!!) and trying to race an amber light when you had enough time to assimilate the road conditions as potentially too wet to stop, suggests that you aren't actually up to the required standard.

And honestly, the word is brake. A car has brakes, when you hit the brakes you are braking, as you know full well from reading the Highway Code section on Braking Distances. When a car breaks, it needs fixing. If you're breaking, see a medical professional.

Someone needs to take a chill pill, I think.  Piling on, combined with pedantry.  You clearly understood what the OP meant, so your understanding has not been disadvantaged one iota.  

We all bow down at your feet for your perfect driving standards.  As that is what they are, are they not?  Otherwise you wouldn't be preaching quite so loudly.

OP:  Do try and get more training to be more confident and proficient.  Ask a friend or relative to give you a view on your driving, and on your ability to anticipate.  There are online resources around also if you search for them.  You will get better the more you learn.  Take it steady, and keep glancing at your mirrors - all of them little and often.

Car_54

Steve182 said:

Car_54 said:

Ermia said:

I was driving overnight a few days ago and when I was approaching a junction, the light become amber. I thought I'm gonna make it and tried to accelerate, but my car isn't very agile, so the light became red exactly when I was on the line.

Are there any delays between the time the light gets red and when the camera gets activated? Even a second of delay would  mean I'm safe. 

Don't be so sure. The offence is committed if any part of the car crosses the line on red (or amber). You may have been exactly on the line, but there were still several feet of car following behind you.

I don't see how that works. The RAC say the same thing but don't distinguish between vehicle types. https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/cameras/traffic-light-cameras/

An articulated lorry travelling at 30mph will take about 1.5 seconds to pass a light from start to finish, 2.25 secs if travelling at only 20mph.

There would be no HGV drivers left on the road if that rule was enforced!

Neither the RAC website or I distinguish between vehicle types, for the simple reason that the law doesn't.

[Deleted User]

ontheroad1970 said:

Username03725 said:

I'd send your licence back and swap it for a provisional if I were you then take another course of lessons, then if you do squeak through another test immediately sign up for a Pass Plus or similar extended and additional driving course that teaches more than just the absolute basics that get you through the test.

The excuses for not using mirrors (too difficult!!!) and trying to race an amber light when you had enough time to assimilate the road conditions as potentially too wet to stop, suggests that you aren't actually up to the required standard.

And honestly, the word is brake. A car has brakes, when you hit the brakes you are braking, as you know full well from reading the Highway Code section on Braking Distances. When a car breaks, it needs fixing. If you're breaking, see a medical professional.

Someone needs to take a chill pill, I think.  Piling on, combined with pedantry.  You clearly understood what the OP meant, so your understanding has not been disadvantaged one iota.  

We all bow down at your feet for your perfect driving standards.  As that is what they are, are they not?  Otherwise you wouldn't be preaching quite so loudly.

OP:  Do try and get more training to be more confident and proficient.  Ask a friend or relative to give you a view on your driving, and on your ability to anticipate.  There are online resources around also if you search for them.  You will get better the more you learn.  Take it steady, and keep glancing at your mirrors - all of them little and often.

Pedantry or not, OP could kill someone or themselves due to their bad driving, would you be so keen to defend them if they sped up to go through on amber due to poor driving and they slammed into someone you know?