Feel sick with stress, incident at traffic lights with man in a van

[H1900]

I am shaking. I was just driving home from the supermarket and noticed this van driving very close behind me. It was making me really uncomfortable and I sped up slightly to get away from them but didn’t want to speed. There was a set of traffic lights ahead and they started to turn red as someone pressed the crossing and I panicked as I didn’t want to stop with the van so close behind me so I carried on going. I went through and they were absolutely definitely on red. Will I now get a fine? Does anyone know if I will lose my licence? I can see conflicting information online. I’m a lone parent and feel incredibly worried as I have no support to take dd to activities etc

I feel you OP. There are some right twats out there.

FYI the advice if someone is tail gateing you is actually slow down, not speed up. Definitely don't be bullied into speeding up again. The fuckwit can wait.

I don't understand what you mean.I have had drivers sail through the crossing when the lights are green for me and red for them.

Yep, the idea is that by slowing down you give yourself more time to stop if there's an obstruction ahead, meaning the car behind is less likely to rear end you.

If you spent that much time looking in your rear mirror, did you actually look where you were going?

The only reason anyone should move into the middle lane is to overtake traffic in the left lane.

FYI, the law is to not drive through a red light

@HarlanPepper and the commenter should've overtaken the lorry. Not slowed down to 45mph to prove a point

I wonder if men ever go home shaking with fear about a van being up their arse? Then write a thread about it?

The advice is actually to maintain your speed. Slowing down can inflame the situation.

But she didn't want to overtake the lorry. She wanted to be exactly where she was. She shouldn't have slowed to 45 - I agree with you there - but nor should she have moved into the middle lane either.

@HarlanPepper if it's slowing to 45, or moving, you move. No need to drive dangerously

They don’t go red immediately if the traffic is heavy, they usually wait a predetermined time or detect the presence of vehicles before changing to allow traffic to clear safely.

That is the advice for the theory test.

A pity that we don't really enforce motoring regulations, as aggressive drivers should be banned, as medically unfit.

No but this one had turned red according to the OP.

Not some, about 25% in my opinion. Some for medical reasons (not just older people), others because of their conduct.

I think that's just a sensor to detect how close the traffic is, to allow the lights to turn red.

They don't, I think, turn red when there's a car too close, to avoid (ironically!) cars either going through a red light, or having to brake too hard.

I'm sure you'll be fine. Even if you're not, they may just offer you a driver education program. Worst case scenario, it's 3 points. As a PP said, unless you're already sitting on 9 points, it's not the end of the world.

In future, if you've got someone tailgating you like that, you have two options:

• carry on driving at the speed limit and ignore them; or
• pull over to get out of their way and let them get on with it. Karma will catch up with them soon enough.

I agree about getting a dashcam though. I've had one for years after I reported an idiotic driver and the police couldn't do anything without evidence.

I've only reported a couple of incidents since, but one ended up in a prosecution.

Edited to add: sorry - quoted the wrong post - meant to quote the OP questioning what the little black box was.

Can you direct me to the part in the highway code that says you must do this?

Those aren't the only two choices though, as I said.

If there was a red light camera at the crossing then you can expect a fine and points on your licence, otherwise it would have to be reported. The very fact that the van was following so close behind is no excuse for jumping a red light under any circumstances and my advice would be to get dash cams from and back which will record everything around you.
I have attended too many RTC's where someone has jumped a red light, on junctions and pedestrian crossings - there is no excuse for the potential heart break caused by reckless and careless driving.

The poster was in lane 1 of the motorway with someone tailgating her. Presumably the tailgater had plenty of opportunity to use the overtaking lanes to get past and pull in in front of them, but was choosing to just try and intimidate someone in lane 1.

The only reason to go into lane 2 or beyond is to overtake. Moving out of the way of a tailgating arse is not a reason.

I'd have stayed put in lane 1. I wouldn't have slowed down, but I wouldn't have moved anywhere either.

I was driving in lane 1 a few weeks ago when someone hogging in lane 2 decided they needed to come off at the junction I was near. As they were alongside me they started indicating that they wanted my lane. There was plenty of room in front of me and plenty of room behind me but he waited until he was alongside, then got the right hump that I didn't slow down and get out of his way. He too flashed me when he eventually decided to slow down and pull in behind me. He was just a twat! Sorry mate, no you're not so important that I'll just get out of your way. You've had a mile to decide to use this lane - if you haven't, that's your problem, not mine.

@Wavescrashingonthebeach can you point me to where in the Highway Code it says you should slow to 25 mph under the speed limit because someone is behind you?

On a general note, I think the upcoming two weeks of stress (maybe even longer due to the Royal Mail closures over Christmas) will be a huge wake up call to the OP. Probably more so than if she gets a few points and £100 fine.

I know I’d find it difficult. I bet she’ll never do something like this again because the stress just isn’t worth it.

Don’t let other drivers dictate what you do. Whether they’re pushing in, tailgating, flashing their lights…just drive as you normally would, pull over if you feel ok to do that and let them get past.

Agreed.

I'm sure the exact scenario isn't described in the highway code, but honestly, if someone is driving badly in the slow lane you get away from them. Even if it means <gasp + shock horror> moving into the middle lane and going past a lorry ....

No where in the highway code does it recommend slowing down to a snail pace hoping they go round you!

Just look forward and never get intimidated into doing that again. You were very lucky a car wasn’t in your path it could have ended in an accident.

Interpret this as you will:
The Highway Code says that tailgating is dangerous and against the law:

Rule 126
Tailgating is when the gap between your vehicle and the one in front is too small to stop safely if the vehicle in front suddenly brakes.
Enforcement
The police can take action against drivers who tailgate, including fines and penalty points on their license.
Here are some tips for dealing with tailgaters:
Stay calm: Remain calm and don't speed up.

Let them pass: If it's safe, let the tailgater pass.

Increase your following distance: The Highway Code recommends leaving at least a two-second gap between you and the vehicle in front. Double this gap when the roads are wet or icy.

Drive normally: Avoid tailgating by driving normally.

Signal clearly: Signal clearly.

Keep left: Keep left unless you're overtaking.

Tailgating is dangerous and can cause collisions, especially when driving at speed. It's estimated that one in eight road casualties are caused by tailgating.