people that do an emergency stop when the lights change are dangerous and wrong

[magrate]

I drive for about two hours everyday for my new job. Have to go through over 20 sets of lights. So many people think that as soon as the lights change you must stop. Aibu to expect people to still go though a second after they go red?

If I was coming onto a green light and it turned amber, I would stop. Unless there was a risk of skidding or not stopping in time so blocking the junction or other hazard. I certainly wouldn't make my decision based on another driver's inability to observe very sensible stopping distances.

The two second rule (I generally leave three) is enough time to safely stop if the person in front of you passes out, is stung by a bee, sees a child you don't or any number of reasons they could stop suddenly.

Would you TheReal ?

If the light changes to amber 'literally' 'as you pass it', then you have crossed the white line and there is no legal requirement for you to stop, as you crossed the line when the light was green.

However, if someone chooses to stop for any reason (maybe they've seen a child who looks like they're about to run into the road), regardless of the colour of the lights, then it is always up to the car behind to stop in time. You should be driving at a safe and appropriate speed and distance, in which case it should be possible to stop without hitting the vehicle in front, even if that vehicle did an emergency stop.

Yes I would stop at an amber light.
If the light was changing as I touched the line and a blue light ambulance was behind me qith no space to go through if I stopped and it wasnt a pedestrian crossing/ there was no cross-coming traffic etc. then I would might go through.
I wouldnt fail to stop at an amber light just becasue someone might not want to brake.

I already anwered. Are you not able to see my response? What else do you want?

But my question is,if you were actually passing a light that had just turned amber would you emergency stop?

I have been told,amply,Sorcha the opposing views,and I am attempting to move on,unless you're wishing me to leave the thread.
I thought a discussion often involved differing views,no?

If a light changes to amber as I pass it then it was green when I crossed the line.
No I dont usually stop at green lights unless there is cause to, such as some twat running a red light or if there is a pedestrain on the road.
But yes, i stop at amber.
Even if its not been amber for very long.
If your dh stopped at amber then you wouldnt have 'kissed' the car in front.

So it is that people would emergency stop at the lights turning from green to amber as they passed?
All I wanted to know!
Quite a normal thing then!

Every day's a schoolday!

So this hypothetical scenario (that has nothing to do with your DH rear ending the car in front in a vey similar scenario) involves questioning whether someone would do an emergency stop (do you even know what that is btw?) after they have crossed the line on a green light?

Areyou willfully misunderstanding what is being said to you?
How can you not see that "as you are passing" must mean that you had crossed the line?
otherwise it is "before you passed"

I am attempting to move on

It really doesn't look that way from here. Your alternative is not to leave the thread, but to publicly accept that if the car in front stops suddenly, the car behind should have left enough space to stop safely.

'Moving on' without acknowledging you were wrong is not actually moving on.

No-one has said what you have just suggested.

ThatBloodyWoman - in one post you state 'there was no accident' - how is it not an accident if your dh could not stop in time to avoid 'gliding into' aka hitting the car in front?

And I understand why he was so keen to avoid sudden braking, but surely, then, he should have been leaving bigger stopping distances, to avoid a situation such as the one which arose. He did not do so, and because of this, he could not stop in time, and therefore is responsible for what happened (the impact) though if the other driver did something stupid/ careless/illegal, then he has some moral responsibility for what happened.

When I had the accident I described this morning, I was apologising to everyone around, even though I had done nothing wrong at all - I was faced with an emergency (the exhaust from the car in front bouncing down the carriageway towards me), and had no choice but to stop (swerving would have put me in the path of other traffic, and would have made them swerve or, possibly, crash), and it wasn't my fault that the second van behind me in the traffic hadn't left enough stopping distance, so hit the van in front of him.

The police confirmed I did the only sensible thing - but I was still apologising, due to the shock.

ThatBloodyWoman I know you want to establish that the other driver was in the wrong. He might have stopped too suddenly, might have stopped on a green (doubtful), might have been distracted and just noticed at the last minute. That doesn't mean that your DH wasn't firmly in the wrong. Your DH was firmly in the wrong. Regardless of the other driver.

The other driver could have been a drunk, high talking on a cell phone 12 year old. Your DH should still have left a stopping distance and didn't.

Sorry I think I did misunderstand.Apologies all!

I think I must have got confused!
So no one would emergency stop as they passed an amber light,because it would be green as they crossed the line?
Got it!

I have publicly accepted that that if the car in front stops suddenly,the car behind should have enough room to stop safely Sorcha.

Fucking hell!
No.
If it is amber as you cross it is amber. You should stop. You should have stopped.
If it turns amber as you cross then it was green as you crossed.
Going through a green ,ight is ok.
Obviously you a trying to twist what is being painfully pointed out to you.
Look. If english is not your first (or second) language then I apologise for being impatient but otherwise you are taking the piss.

"But my question is,if you were actually passing a light that had just turned amber would you emergency stop?"

Do you mean passing the stop line?

I would say that you ought to be approaching the lights aware that they might change, so, at a speed where you could stop safely, without an emergency stop. If I was already part way across the line when the light went amber, I would continue on over the junction/crossing, because even an emergency stop would leave me stranded across the junction/crossing, which would be worse.

If the driver in front did do an emergency stop, instead of crossing the stop line at an amber light, then maybe he was going to fast, which is careless driving but your dh could not stop without bumping the car, which is also careless driving.. Two wrongs don't make a right.

Epic cross posting!

If you pass an amber light then you havent stopped have you?
You have run an amber light.
If the light turns amber as you pass it it must have been green when you started to pass it.

I'm impressed that people can see the light that was green and has turned as they pass. Surely that involves either psychic ability or eyes floating behind you, like one of those Romano-Greek gods.

It I suspect a light is 'stale' I would make ready to stop. If it turns amber, I'm stopping if I can safely.

My mum probably could though mrstp because since i was quite small she told me she had eyes in the back of her head.

I think thatbloodywoman wanted more detail on what might be considered "doing so safely"
Like, not if you think the person behind you doesnt fancy stopping?

What I am trying to establish is,whether its good driving to do an emergency stop when the light was green as you approached,then turned amber as you passed.
Thats all,and thats what the thread was started about after all.

Yes,you should be able to do it with no consequence,but should you?

If it turns amber as you pass it how would you know?