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

If you don’t have a front and rear dash cam get them and fit them dead easy. Slow down and put in front of some shops or satnav to nearest police station etc

Maybe driving at 45mph is stupid but that in and of itself is not illegal whereas tail gating is. Onus is on the tail gater to overtake.

If you think other drivers have to move lanes on a motorway because you are tailgating them in a cruising lane, perhaps it's you who shouldn't be on the road. Don't tailgate them, overtake when it's safe to do so.

If you think you have to move lanes because you're being tailgated in a cruising lane, perhaps it's you who shouldn't be on the road. Don't be harassed into making a manoeuvre that you otherwise wouldn't make because another driver is aggressive, it's very dangerous to let the man or woman behind the wheel behind you control your driving behaviour, you need to be in control.

Also, if you don't know that the minimum speed on a motorway is 30mph so 45mph is deemed legal and safe (otherwise the minimum speed limit would be changed), again, perhaps it's you who shouldn't be on the road.

There is no law that says you have to overtake slow driving lorries on a motorway, if you want to overtake slow traffic you're entitled to when it's safe to do so, but you are not entitled to harass other drivers into doing so. It's a projection of aggression to say that people who slow down to deal with a tailgater are doing it to wind up the tailgater. They're doing it because that's the safest thing to do.

Don't tailgate and don't make excuses for tailgating, it's dangerous, anti-social driving behaviour, especially on a motorway in the cruising lane where there are 2 overtaking lanes of which to take advantage.

Make a habit of always locking your door when you drive.

if he was coming up right behind you then backing off, he wasn’t just tailgating, he was deliberately intimidating you. It wouldn't have been unreasonable to call 999 in those circumstances.

Since you’re driving alone a lot,consider getting a dashcam with a rear view camera.

It looks like it's a puffin crossing- they have sensors that detect when pedestrians have safely crossed so it can set the traffic lights. Not cameras to look for cars. Google Puffin Crossing Camera- you'll probably see a few that look like the one you went through. Don't worry- just handle it differently next time x

Thank you for articulating this far better than I could

45mph isn't a snail's pace.

The legal minimum on a motorway is 30mph.

There is no law that says you have to overtake a slow lorry. If you want to, you can just bimble along slowly behind it like all the annoying Sunday drivers do. Personally I prefer to overtake, but it's not up to me to demand other drivers do.

But the commenter did it to piss off the driver behind

Totally safe!

Are you aware that 70mph is a limit, not a target? It's irrelevant how much under the speed limit you are as long as you are driving safely and legally relative to the driving conditions. If you have a vehicle in front of you doing 45mph, you either have to do 45mph or less, or you have to overtake them when it's safe to do so. Either course of action is legal and safe. Tailgating is neither.

Did she? I missed that bit. I think that's something inexperienced drivers do and you grow out of that after a few years on the road. Obviously you shouldn't do something just to piss someone else off. Sometimes it's a bonus that it does, but it shouldn't be the motivation. You should only do it because it's safe and the best thing to do in a specific scenario.

My son got a £100 fine and either 3 points or to attend An online course_ he chose the latter. He’d actually gone through a red light in place for temporary roadworks. It was a scheme the police do in which a member of the public sends them a photograph or video of the traffic offence. He wasn’t aware until he received the letter through the post so don’t just think it’s a camera at the lights that can catch you.

Nowhere here does it state she did it to "piss him off".
Presumably adjusting her speed because distracted by a person driving ILLEGALY

You will not lose your license for a one off.

If I ever get tailgated when doing the speed limit on a single lane road I angle my interior mirror away so I can no longer see the car behind. Then I can pretend that it is not there. Having somebody drive a foot off your rear bumper is so off putting.

I do that especially at night &/or if I feel the Red Mist descending. I need to concentrate!

You need to get signed off with stress and get help
what on earth did you think the van was going to do ??
worst case senario you have to do speed awareness session

your main problem is stress go to doctors now I did and hit some pillls and therapy xx

Obviously making the point that this specific situation is unlikely to have any consequences. That's the whole point of the thread. OP is terrified something will happen and she clearly just ran a light on a rural street with nobody around and no cameras so logically, there won't be any consequences. However it doesn't negate the fact that running a red is a very dangerous act of driving, arguably riskier than speeding or drink driving.

Was someone crossing the road? You were incredibly stupid if so,but you have obviously learned your lesson by how bad you're feeling.

But there were people around. She had someone behind her and someone was waiting to cross at the crossing that she decided to ignore and drive across. Of course there could have been consequences

Er. No one needs to be signed off work because they are intimidated by aggressive driving.

I'm so sorry you are this stressed. It seems to me that this anxiety is caused by more than a traffic light (at least I hope it is) . What's done is done. You will not lose your license for this. I wish you peace.

How slow were you driving OP?
Im not saying that the van driver was right in doing what he did, he absolutely isn’t. But the amount of drivers on the road nowadays that are driving well under the speed limit is infuriating and unnecessary. The advice to ‘slow down’ if someone is tailgating you is terrible advice if you’re already driving well under the limit, you will make it worse. You either ignore them and maintain your speed, or you safely pull over and the let them pass. There is no need to ‘break test’ or slow down just to piss them off. You need to keep your cool when driving and try not to piss other road users off.

Good to see you’re so careless in your driving and don’t even bat and eyelid about it.

@H1900 The way to deal with a tailgater is to slow down. It makes them back off as their intimidation tactics aren't working.

I wish they'd fine middle lane hoggers who are overtaking nothing but the empty lane to their left. That drives me insane

If it's a first offence (assuming you were caught by a camera) you will most probably be offered the chance of a "Road Signals Awareness Course". No fine, no penalty points.

I can't tell you what they're like OP as mine isn't 'til January. 😞