Amber to Red light - lorry.

Amber to Red light - lorry.

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Discussion

Baaaartz

Original Poster:

90 posts

47 months

Thursday 3rd September 2020
quotequote all
TVR1 said:
So no dramas then. You’d already crossed the stop line. OP don’t stress yourself. You did the correct thing, especially if you knew there was a car behind you.

And BTW, you wouldn’t have caused an accident, if it happened....the driver behind would’ve.

Sounds like a sensible piece of driving from you.

Do you know how many reds I’ve jumped, with my pupils? Or received a NIP? 0

Do you know how many accidents I’ve had at Trafficlights ‘Cos pupils slammed on the brakes? 0

Do you know how many times I’ve said ‘keep going’ as the pupils foot moves to hit the brakes 1 car length from amber? And I’ve seen the 40 ton articulated lorry 1 metre behind us?

10,000

It’s fun, being a driving instructor!

Well done. Good driving






Edited by TVR1 on Thursday 3rd September 18:23
I just seen this comment, I wouldn't have the patience to be a driving instructor so good on you mate haha, as my driving instructor also told me when I was doing my HGV, once you hit your point of no return like I did today its safer to proceed through amber and clear the junction rather than slam on the breaks and that's what I go by.

Rivenink

3,849 posts

108 months

Thursday 3rd September 2020
quotequote all
TVR1 said:
He wasn’t trying to beat the lights. They changed from green to amber within a vehicles length.

Don’t try to read into something that isn’t there.
I didn't say he was. I merely listed out a bunch of factors that a copper would likely consider if one were to have seen the incident described.

Take your own advice?


GC8

19,910 posts

192 months

Friday 4th September 2020
quotequote all
Baaaartz said:
Hi I know the title might be a bit misleading I just have a question since I havent really looked into it as usually I'm a very sensible driver, however this morning around 7am I started my shift driving my dustcart and as we was approaching a junction the lights was green, about literally a metre away from the stop line the lights have turned to amber and I'm pretty sure my back wheels of the lorry crossed the white stop line at red as they changed quiet quickly, we obviously proceeded through the intersection before any other traffic moved off from the other side, I'm just curious how would the law enforcement look at this kind of situation, would they issue a nip for something so stupid?

To my defence it would be hard stopping in a car when your literally right next to the line, let alone a whole lorry with couple tonnes in the back, so I'm quiete not sure what to think of this one, has anyone had a similar incident?
Forget about it. Your back wheels dont matter.

martinbiz

3,192 posts

147 months

Friday 4th September 2020
quotequote all
GC8 said:
Baaaartz said:
Hi I know the title might be a bit misleading I just have a question since I havent really looked into it as usually I'm a very sensible driver, however this morning around 7am I started my shift driving my dustcart and as we was approaching a junction the lights was green, about literally a metre away from the stop line the lights have turned to amber and I'm pretty sure my back wheels of the lorry crossed the white stop line at red as they changed quiet quickly, we obviously proceeded through the intersection before any other traffic moved off from the other side, I'm just curious how would the law enforcement look at this kind of situation, would they issue a nip for something so stupid?

To my defence it would be hard stopping in a car when your literally right next to the line, let alone a whole lorry with couple tonnes in the back, so I'm quiete not sure what to think of this one, has anyone had a similar incident?
Forget about it. Your back wheels dont matter.
Wrong

GC8

19,910 posts

192 months

Saturday 5th September 2020
quotequote all
What a typically forum reply.


SS2.

14,486 posts

240 months

Saturday 5th September 2020
quotequote all
GC8 said:
What a typically forum reply.
It is correct, though - the offence is committed if any part of the vehicle proceeds beyond the stop line with the red light showing.

eldar

21,903 posts

198 months

Saturday 5th September 2020
quotequote all
SS2. said:
GC8 said:
What a typically forum reply.
It is correct, though - the offence is committed if any part of the vehicle proceeds beyond the stop line with the red light showing.
PH, pedantry matters. Considerably, in this threadsmile

Speed Badger

2,770 posts

119 months

Saturday 5th September 2020
quotequote all
I used to work in a particular department for a police force that sounds like the ice cream Neopolitan.

There may or may not have been unofficial extra tolerance when it came to HGV's or LGV's activating red light cameras due to the weight of the vehicle and stopping distances.

Also there may or may not have been tolerance for a funeral cortege.

GC8

19,910 posts

192 months

Saturday 5th September 2020
quotequote all
SS2. said:
GC8 said:
What a typically forum reply.
It is correct, though - the offence is committed if any part of the vehicle proceeds beyond the stop line with the red light showing.
I am quite familiar with the law. The charismatic member should think about his answer a little more.

Cliftonite

8,421 posts

140 months

Saturday 5th September 2020
quotequote all
SS2. said:
GC8 said:
What a typically forum reply.
It is correct, though - the offence is committed if any part of the vehicle proceeds beyond the stop line with the red light showing.
Which is why it can be impossible for an LGV (HGV) to enter a motorway legally when those on-off (quick-change) peak-time traffic lights (designed to cause longer stop-start queues on sliproads) are in operation.


TVR1

5,464 posts

227 months

Saturday 5th September 2020
quotequote all
SS2. said:
GC8 said:
What a typically forum reply.
It is correct, though - the offence is committed if any part of the vehicle proceeds beyond the stop line with the red light showing.
Yes... but...

That’s not what happened to the OP. He passed the amber as unsafe to stop and must continue through the junction. It’s then irrelevant if the light goes red before his vehicle has fully cleared the stop line.



vonhosen

40,301 posts

219 months

Saturday 5th September 2020
quotequote all
TVR1 said:
SS2. said:
GC8 said:
What a typically forum reply.
It is correct, though - the offence is committed if any part of the vehicle proceeds beyond the stop line with the red light showing.
Yes... but...

That’s not what happened to the OP. He passed the amber as unsafe to stop and must continue through the junction. It’s then irrelevant if the light goes red before his vehicle has fully cleared the stop line.
It's not.
The unsafe to stop only applies to the amber light, not a red.

TVR1

5,464 posts

227 months

Saturday 5th September 2020
quotequote all
vonhosen said:
TVR1 said:
SS2. said:
GC8 said:
What a typically forum reply.
It is correct, though - the offence is committed if any part of the vehicle proceeds beyond the stop line with the red light showing.
Yes... but...

That’s not what happened to the OP. He passed the amber as unsafe to stop and must continue through the junction. It’s then irrelevant if the light goes red before his vehicle has fully cleared the stop line.
It's not.
The unsafe to stop only applies to the amber light, not a red.
Was that a reply to me vonhosen?

vonhosen

40,301 posts

219 months

Saturday 5th September 2020
quotequote all
TVR1 said:
vonhosen said:
TVR1 said:
SS2. said:
GC8 said:
What a typically forum reply.
It is correct, though - the offence is committed if any part of the vehicle proceeds beyond the stop line with the red light showing.
Yes... but...

That’s not what happened to the OP. He passed the amber as unsafe to stop and must continue through the junction. It’s then irrelevant if the light goes red before his vehicle has fully cleared the stop line.
It's not.
The unsafe to stop only applies to the amber light, not a red.
Was that a reply me me vonhosen?
Yes.
It's not an irrelevance as you stated.
If it's amber & it's unsafe to stop you can proceed over the stop line, but if you haven't cleared the line before it goes red you commit the red light offence of crossing the line against red.
Whether you get prosecuted or not is a different consideration, but the offence is complete.

TVR1

5,464 posts

227 months

Saturday 5th September 2020
quotequote all
vonhosen said:
TVR1 said:
vonhosen said:
TVR1 said:
SS2. said:
GC8 said:
What a typically forum reply.
It is correct, though - the offence is committed if any part of the vehicle proceeds beyond the stop line with the red light showing.
Yes... but...

That’s not what happened to the OP. He passed the amber as unsafe to stop and must continue through the junction. It’s then irrelevant if the light goes red before his vehicle has fully cleared the stop line.
It's not.
The unsafe to stop only applies to the amber light, not a red.
Was that a reply me me vonhosen?
Yes.
It's not an irrelevance as you stated.
If it's amber & it's unsafe to stop you can proceed over the stop line, but if you haven't cleared the line before it goes red you commit the red light offence of crossing the line against red.
Whether you get prosecuted or not is a different consideration, but the offence is complete.
Apologies as I’m aware of your previous/current profession but The Highway Code Confirms that you should proceed on Amber. As long as the criteria of unsafe/cause collision, it’s then ok, even if in this case a long vehicle.

The any part of a vehicle bit applies if the red was on before passing the stop line, even if you manage to stop before all of the vehicle has passed. Not if you’ve passed on amber.

The critical words are ‘showing BEFORE passing’.

It’s a very subtle difference, for sure. However, the wording (simplified) is ‘if any part of the vehicle passes the stop line, whilst red light is showing(even if the vehicle stops) an offence is committed.

The RTA is clear, proceed on Amber if unsafe etc. No offence committed.

It doesn’t say, because it doesn’t need to (as has already told us to proceed if unsafe)...

‘you may proceed on Amber but if the whole vehicle has not cleared the stop line before changing to red, an offence is committed. A defence would be to show that it was unsafe to stop’

Edited by TVR1 on Saturday 5th September 14:46

SS2.

14,486 posts

240 months

Saturday 5th September 2020
quotequote all
TVR1 said:
The any part of a vehicle bit applies if the red was on before passing the stop line, even if you manage to stop before all of the vehicle has passed. Not if you’ve passed on amber.
No, it doesn't.

If any part of a vehicle proceeds beyond the stop line when the red light is showing, the offence is complete. It matters not a jot what colour the lights were when the front of the vehicle passed the stop line.

TVR1

5,464 posts

227 months

Saturday 5th September 2020
quotequote all
SS2. said:
TVR1 said:
The any part of a vehicle bit applies if the red was on before passing the stop line, even if you manage to stop before all of the vehicle has passed. Not if you’ve passed on amber.
No, it doesn't.

If any part of a vehicle proceeds beyond the stop line when the red light is showing, the offence is complete. It matters not a jot what colour the lights were when the front of the vehicle passed the stop line.
So you’ve just confirmed what I said!

It’s ‘SHOWING’

The red wasn’t showing. It was Amber.

That the lights changed afterwards, so not showing ‘at that time’ is the important bit.

It’s the point that the vehicle crossed the stop line that’s important, and the lights AT THAT TIME, not what subsequently happened.


It’s an offence of passing on Red. Not on passing Amber AND THEN the lights change to red.

Find anything thing, anywhere that states it’s an offence to pass an Amber light (under these circumstances) and then it’s an offence if the lights change before the rest of the vehicle has passed the stop line.

Try. Go on.

You won’t find it.

Because it’s not there.





Edited by TVR1 on Saturday 5th September 19:08

SS2.

14,486 posts

240 months

Saturday 5th September 2020
quotequote all
TVR1 said:
So you’ve just confirmed what I said!

It’s ‘SHOWING’

The red wasn’t showing. It was Amber.

That the lights changed afterwards, so not showing ‘at that time’ is the important bit.

It’s the point that the vehicle crossed the stop light that’s important, not what subsequently happened.


It’s an offence of passing on Red. Not on passing Amber AND THEN the lights change to red.

Find anything thing, anywhere that states it’s an offence to pass an Amber light (under these circumstances) and then it’s an offence if the lights change before the rest of the vehicle has passed the stop line.

Try. Go on.

You won’t find it.

Because it’s not there.
Sorry, but you're wrong.

Do you not understand the phrase 'any part of a vehicle' ?

TVR1

5,464 posts

227 months

Saturday 5th September 2020
quotequote all
SS2. said:
TVR1 said:
So you’ve just confirmed what I said!

It’s ‘SHOWING’

The red wasn’t showing. It was Amber.

That the lights changed afterwards, so not showing ‘at that time’ is the important bit.

It’s the point that the vehicle crossed the stop light that’s important, not what subsequently happened.


It’s an offence of passing on Red. Not on passing Amber AND THEN the lights change to red.

Find anything thing, anywhere that states it’s an offence to pass an Amber light (under these circumstances) and then it’s an offence if the lights change before the rest of the vehicle has passed the stop line.

Try. Go on.

You won’t find it.

Because it’s not there.
Sorry, but you're wrong.
That’s ok.

Please show me any RTA or Highway Code that says it’s an offence to pass on Amber and then, unless your vehicle has fully passed the stop line before the lights change to red, you’ve committed an offence of proceeding on a red light.

Go on!

I’ve all night.

SS2.

14,486 posts

240 months

Saturday 5th September 2020
quotequote all
Go and check the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016.

It won't take you all night.

Edited by SS2. on Saturday 5th September 19:25