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?

BloodyWoman - the lights are a bit of a red herring here to be honest.

To be absolutely clear - a driver should always be able to stop safely without driving into the car in front - be it at traffic lights, on a roundabout, or even going down the bloody motorway, regardless of what other drivers are doing. They should be expecting the unexpected, driving at safe speed and distance, and always have an ‘escape route’.

MrsTerryPratchett, You can see this at junctions that have two sets of traffic lights - you're passing the stop line and the second light turns amber. Love your imagery about ancient gods though .

The point is, it doesn't matter what is 'good driving' or whether the other party was 'wrong' or 'right'. You don't drive into them because you feel like it!

On my recent (I'm not a perfect driver) speed awareness course, before we started, the instructors went around the room, and asked everyone if they knew what they had done (for me 40 in a 30) and if we knew why it had resulted in us being prosecuted. Everyone gave their story and acknowledged it was what had led to their being at the course.

Except one guy who was doing 60 in a 50, but in his words "it should have been a 70". The instructor (politely) accepted the road may be nice and straight, but the speed limit was the limit.

Rather than accepting it, this guy got more agitated, and actually started shouting that he wasn't in the wrong, and that the speed limit should be 70. It was quite a performance (very blustery and entitled). After he had to catch his breath, the instructor switched to stern mode, and advised us that part of the requirement for taking the course was that we left with an understanding and acceptance of our guilt. If the instructors didn't feel a candidate had gained from the course, they had the discretion to recommend the prosecution be continued. Chummy took the hint. Finally.

Thatbloodywoman, I thought the point of keeping a safe breaking distance from the car in front is so that if they do an emergency stop you should have enough time to break too. It doesn't really matter why they did an emergency stop, or whether it was justified, if your DH was a safe breaking distance behind it wouldn't have been a problem.

I don't understand why people drive so close to other cars that they can't stop in time if the other car breaks suddenly, it's not like it delays your journey to leave a decent cap between you and the car in front.

Yes. But it should have been 70.

Sorry all of those should be brakes/braking. It's been a long week!

That is kind of what I mean in a sense TheReal.

If you can see the car behind you hasn't got its stopping distance for whatever reason,would it be safe to do an emergency stop?
It should be,but would it be?

Not about defending dh -curious as to the interpretation!

Oh good lord

I would not stop randomly in the middle of the road for no good reason.
Stopping at an amber light is, in fact, a good reason.

Ok im just checking. You dont drive do you bloodywoman?
I just want to be sure.

Yes of course, if the car behind is too close, then you should drive into the child in the road in front of you rather than do an emergency stop.

FFS

Ok ok just to clear this all up now as dh has just come in.
He says that it was temporary traffic lights.The other driver had gone through the stopping board at green,as had we.
When he got to the actual lights which were set back,and he had already committed himself,they changed to amber,and despite the fact he had passed the stopping board at green,he did an emergency stop.An actual emergency stop.
Dh says he could have done an emergency stop but didn't,because of us in the car.He agrees that had he caused damage,insurance would have gone in his favour.

So he was driving too close.

Your DH was driving too close to the car in front. He should have done an ermgency stop. The type of traffic lights, the sequence of the lights, the other driver's actions - not bloody relevant - your DH was in the wrong.

That is not the same thing as you described tough.

'emergency'

Sorry,on the prior post I omitted 'for no reason'....
Ooops!

ThatBloodyWoman 19:07
It is legal to proceed across the junction if the lights go amber after your car has passed the white line. It is not obligatory. Green means proceed with caution, stopping if necessary. You never know if the car in front may brake suddenly for a child running into the road. Anyone who isn't driving such that they could stop safely if the car in front does an emergency stop, is not a safe or good driver.

So he stopped because the light changed to amber
And you hit him because your dh was too close to him.

Also,he said he and his insurance company would contest it,and that the insurance company wouldn't want to pay out.
FWIW my dh has been a professional driver for 35 years.

TheReal I did say I couldn't remember the details and that I just knew it wasn't a usual situation.

In one case,dh says a court held that when a driver in front had radically changed his speed as he approached a speed camera,the driver behind him who went into his back because he was checking his speed,was not liable. It can be a grey area.

Oh well if your dh says so
Was he on that course mentioned upthread btw?

These were temporary traffic lights.
On temporary lights the stop board is your stop line,not the lights.

Imagine the traffic lights,and across the junction there are other lights relating to your flow of traffic.
If you stop at the 'second set' you are causing a hazard for the vehicles now coming across.
You 'go' according to where the lights are when you start the 'crossing'.

ThatBloodyWoman - as a driver, I am responsible for what I do, and that includes making sure I have enough distance to stop safely, if the car in front stops suddenly. The driver of the car behind me, is responsible for the stopping distance between him and me.

I am not aware of anything in the Highway Code that says I am responsible for the stopping distance of the car behind me.

What course?