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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

Original poster

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

417 replies

magrate · 13/02/2015 09:02

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?

OP posts:
TheRealAmandaClarke · 13/02/2015 16:57

The lights were amber.
Amber means stop.
What's bizarre about that?

TheRealAmandaClarke · 13/02/2015 17:00

He stopped at the lights.
That is to be expected.
Had he transformed into a purple elephant on a unicyle I have to admit that would be a surprise, an unexpected action on the road.
Stopping at an amber light? Not so much.

PourquoiTuGachesTaVie · 13/02/2015 17:00

I'd be less than impressed at someone rear ending my car for the reasons given by bloodywoman.

Adding up the expense of repairs, dealing with insurance, stress caused to the driver that was hit, general inconvenience and the fact that your dh couldn't have known whether there were someone elses kids (or post c-section wife) in the car... then surely just stopping is the smartest course of action?

laughingmyarseoff · 13/02/2015 17:01

I wouldn't be impressed if someone emergency braked for no reason but obviously he felt he had reason because the lights were turning amber. I wouldn't be impressed but I'd accept that it was my fault if I went into him and a near miss on my account if I'm almost did.

People behave like dicks on the road, there are plenty of dick moves which make other drivers have to react quickly but if it involves then performing legal manouver and you needing to brake and not reacting fast enough then you are in the wrong.

ThatBloodyWoman · 13/02/2015 17:05

I conceded way back that had my dh had to go through insurance because he had causdd injury or damage,it would have been against him.
But he and I are being slated for something hypothetical.
There was no accident.No damage.No injuries ( including to me).No insurance involvement.No police.Nicht.
My dh avoided that by doing what he did,by managing the situation he was presented with.

Nothing to see here....
We didn't slam

Bumbiscuits · 13/02/2015 17:07

If the car was "kissed" the emergency stop wouldn't be severe.

No excuse for hitting the car in front. None. Do you believe the shite your man speaks all the time, TBW?

hackmum · 13/02/2015 17:08

I rarely have an unequivocal answer in AIBU, but this time I do: YABU!

As is ThatBloodywoman.

ThatBloodyWoman · 13/02/2015 17:08

I don't get the outcry!

But I think some are not rtft.

laughingmyarseoff · 13/02/2015 17:08

Rule 126

Stopping Distances. Drive at a speed that will allow you to stop well within the distance you can see to be clear. You should leave enough space between you and the vehicle in front so that you can pull up safely if it suddenly slows down or stops.

Rule 151

In slow-moving traffic. You should reduce the distance between you and the vehicle ahead to maintain traffic flow but never get so close to the vehicle in front that you cannot stop safely

For the person who asked earlier about going through on red lights which are broken:

If the lights are not working properly, the potential defence is that they do not comply with the appropriate regulations and thus, you should not be prosecuted. However, it would be for the Defendant to establish that "to proceed with caution" was a reasonable action and that it was apparent that the lights were not working properly.

steff13 · 13/02/2015 17:09

If you approach a green light, you expect that it will change to amber at any time. So you approach at a speed that will allow you to stop sensibly. There is NO NEED for "emergency braking."

This is true, but that doesn't make the person who does the emergency braking at fault if someone rear-ends them. If you've only left enough distance between yourself and the car in front of you that your only choices are to either hit them or slam on your brakes if they emergency brake, then you're in the wrong. That's the law. The police will tell you that, insurance companies will tell you that, that's just it.

McFox · 13/02/2015 17:09

I got 3 points on my licence and fined £60 for going through a red light 0.47 seconds after it turned red, so no, I would rather brake hard than do that again (which I had to because someone was right on my tail and would have gone into the back of me otherwise).

TheRealAmandaClarke · 13/02/2015 17:09

No. You and your dh are not being slated for something hypothetical.
Your assertion that he was not in the wrong (by insisting it was the other driver's fault) is being disputed.

ThatBloodyWoman · 13/02/2015 17:09

Bum course I do Hmm

laughingmyarseoff · 13/02/2015 17:10

No, we've read it just if you and your DH don't accept you were at fault then obviously you think driving close to another car and gliding into it are fine (as you defend) when distracted and surprised by a sudden stop. Which means you won't take note and think more about your stopping distances and could potentially do it again.

steff13 · 13/02/2015 17:13

My dh avoided that by doing what he did,by managing the situation he was presented with.

This right here is what the outcry is about. Your husband didn't manage the situation he was presented with, he managed the sitution HE CAUSED by following too closely. I think people are frustrated because you don't seem to get that it doesn't really matter whether the man who stopped short had a valid reason or not; it never should have come down to a choice between hitting him or slamming your brakes.

ThatBloodyWoman · 13/02/2015 17:13

No,TheReal I am stating that an emergency stop at a just turned amber light is wrong.Its my opinion.
If my dh had slammed into his back it would also be wrong.
But thats not what happened.

TheRealAmandaClarke · 13/02/2015 17:15

Well good job you dont drive then.

ThatBloodyWoman · 13/02/2015 17:16

My dh did brake and could have braked more,had I not been in the car.
He didn't.
Nothing bad happened.

ThatBloodyWoman · 13/02/2015 17:17

How did my dh cause the other driver doing an emergency stop steff ?
Don't get that!

Sallyingforth · 13/02/2015 17:17

I don't get the outcry!

Obviously you don't, or you would keep whingeing on about so-called 'emergency stops' when the car in front correctly stopped at an amber light as the law requires.

Your DH drove badly, and if he can't accept that it's very likely he will continue to do so. I just hope that he won't be following me any time I have to stop for an amber light.

EpicBlue · 13/02/2015 17:18

from the highway code:

red means stop.
red and amber means stop.
green means go if the way is clear and give way to pedestrians crossing
amber means stop at the stop line. You may only go on if amber appears after the stop line or are so close to it that to stop might cause an accident.

OP, yes, YABU.

TheRealAmandaClarke · 13/02/2015 17:18

He hit the car in front.
Or now are we being told that didnt happen?
It was an accident. Nobody was hurt. It happens all the time. We allmake mistakes.
But your dh was at fault. Your opinion about the meaning of traffic lights doesnt change that.

steff13 · 13/02/2015 17:20

He should have been able to brake and stop completely without slamming on his brakes. If he couldn't do that without "kissing" or tapping or however you'd like to minimize it, then he was following too closely. It's not that hard to understand.

ThatBloodyWoman · 13/02/2015 17:21

I apologise about whingeing about emergency stops on a thread about emergency stops.
How very dare I Shock

steff13 · 13/02/2015 17:23

How did my dh cause the other driver doing an emergency stop steff

I didn't say that, now you're just being ridiculous. Any driver in front of you might emergency stop for any number of reasons. As a driver, it's your resonsibility to make sure that if the driver in front of you emergency stops, you have enough distance between you to stop completely without slamming your brakes or hitting the other car. You husband did not do that. Thus, he was in the wrong, and he created the issue.