Twice in one day!!!

[rospa]

Christmas must have come early.

Approaching a set of traffic lights and they change to amber. Quick check of mirror and see a new shape Vectra approaching at a fast rate of knotts in the lane directly behind me. I decide to continue given that he might hit me if I pull up sharpish.

Anyway get over the lights and check rear mirror again and Vectra is still coming. He must have jumped a red light a good 2 seconds after it had turned red.

He shoots off into the distance. Notice a panda join the road behind me.

He shoots off and must be doing 50 to catch the car doing about 40 (in a 30).

Pulls him over and driver is out prompt and arguing with the copper. I slow, watch what is happening but the copper has it under control. I do a lap round a couple of rounabouts and all is fine. Copper gets him in the back of the panda.

Not 10 minutes later i'm on a dual carriageway slightly above the speed limit (ahem) when a Gold Audi appears behind me, tailgating.

I look for a gap to the left and get into it as soon as I can.

As the Audi goes past, I notice two cars joining from a slip road to the left. I can't see the second car (the one at the rear) at all but can see something that looks like a roof rack. I decide to use the auto gearbox down 2 gears and get to the speed limit, just in case.

Sure enough, out pops a marked Omega and he is off to have a look at the Gold Audi.

I'm assuming he is using Vascar as he gains on the Audi but stays in Lane 1 while Audi is in Lane 2. He is effectively shielding himself from the view of the Audi.

Further up the road, Audi by side of the road with the TrafPol checking tyres. A female at the wheel.

Nice to see proper coppers dealing with motorists and not cameras.

Made my day!

[ultimapaul]

Not happening enough though is it? Mr. Bliar?

The Vectra may not have been speeding. It could still have wiped out a family though! Instead, hopefuly Panda Plod will show him the error of his ways and EDUCATE him!

Paul.

[hut49]

Jumping a red light should be an automatic ban in my view. No excuse - amber after green means stop, not: here's a warning that it's just about to change to red.

[gh0st]

hut49 said:

Jumping a red light should be an automatic ban in my view. No excuse - amber after green means stop, not: here's a warning that it's just about to change to red.

Yup

[streaky]

gh0st said:

hut49 said: Jumping a red light should be an automatic ban in my view. No excuse - amber after green means stop, not: here's a warning that it's just about to change to red. Yup

I agree ... unless a 42-tonner is bearing down at unabated speed behind you, that is - Streaky

[haggishead]

Interesting that this is a worse problem in some areas than others. I see some areas where the clearance time between greens is kept short - when signals change to amber, people stop!

40 miles away, another city, another council, whose view is "if people go through on amber, increase the clearance times" until the clearance times are huge - and people go through on amber because they get away with it.

Put a driver in area 1 into area 2 and he gets punted up the chuff the first time the lights change in front of him. Put a driver from area 2 in area 1 and he gets punted in the side by traffic that has already started to move.

[kevinday]

You think it is bad in the UK? In Hungary you can see people go through the red at every light, at every sequence, sometimes by up to 2-3 seconds, cars, vans, buses and lorries all do this. Bloody dangerous! especially for pedestrians crossing on their green light.

[Chrisgr31]

When trying to make progress I seek to make a quick get away when the lights go green. Its amazing how often one has to brake, or feather the throttle to ensure I don't either hit, or am hit by someone who has come through on the red.

[Mr2Mike]

kevinday said:

You think it is bad in the UK? In Hungary you can see people go through the red at every light, at every sequence, sometimes by up to 2-3 seconds, cars, vans, buses and lorries all do this. Bloody dangerous! especially for pedestrians crossing on their green light.

You ever been to Italy? Red lights mean nothing to those people. If you dare to stop at a red, you will receive an orchestra of horns and coffee beans hand signals from the cars behind. You also have to put up with literaly swarms of scooters driven by Italians wearing shorts and t-shirts and no helmets happily weaving through moving traffic. The Italian police don't seem to give a toss.

[zcacogp]

Live in East London. And have decided that the local ethnic minority have genetic inability to see any traffic light colour other than red. (And have now been hit twice from behind by such people, while stopping at red lights, both of whom were driving without insurance.)

Don't tempt me to comment.

[cheburator]

Mr2Mike said:

You ever been to Italy? Red lights mean nothing to those people. If you dare to stop at a red, you will receive an orchestra of horns and coffee beans hand signals from the cars behind. You also have to put up with literaly swarms of scooters driven by Italians wearing shorts and t-shirts and no helmets happily weaving through moving traffic. The Italian police don't seem to give a toss.

Traffic lights in Milan are imperative
Traffic lights in Rome are suggestive
Traffic lights in Palermo are decorative

[xxplod]

Last comment very true!!! Went to Sorrento, near Naples this year. I had a hire car booked and I was warned by the tour guide that Neopolitan drivers are known for being the least law abiding in Italy! It took me a while to work it out - they use a system of beeps on the horn. When a car is behind you, (usually approx 3 cm from your bumper) and it beeps, this sets the whole overtake procedure in motion. Please note, whether overtaking is allowed or not, what the speed limit is, or whether you are fast approaching blind mountainous bends is of no relevance. Car behind you pulls out, and starts to accelerate past. Usually its a Fiat 500, two or three up, using all 26 bhp, uphill. This beep is then my signal to ease off - just a little. It also serves the purpose of alerting any oncoming driver, around the next blind bend, to what is going on. A few seconds later, and the Fiat is now alongside. Then, the local bus, taking up all of its side of the narrow mountain road, and half of yours, appears around the now very fast approaching bend. Fiat driver really nails it (Italians have no concept of backing off), I brake hard, and nearly smash my offside wing mirror as I pull as far right as I can. Bus brakes and tries to keep to his side of the road, and by some miracle, all three vehicles squeeze by each other with no more than 2 cm between the edges of all vehicles.
And you wonder why Italy is such a religious country!

[Julian64]

I often go through red lights. I don't see a problem if all is clear. If its not, obviously you are risking your licence and possibly your liberty.

But I rarely find didactic comments fit all circumstances.

[Zod]

xxplod, I too have driven in Naples and on the Sorrento and Amalfi roads and they are like nowhere else on Earth. When we first arrived (and got lost) in Naples, we marvelled at the fact that every single car was dented and scratched. Then we made it out onto the Sorrento Peninsula and spent the whole journey to Sorrento believing we were about to see a fatal acident as a local driver in an aold fiat would buzz around our hire car's arse, pushing to get past when a couple of buses were coming the other way ten metres from an acute corner with an adverse camber and a cliff edge on the outside. Invariably, the Fiat would pull out at the last possible moment andshave the front of the lead bus as it squeezed back in a couple of cars ahead. All accompanied by the classic Italian beep beep soundtrack.

[streaky]

cheburator said:

Traffic lights in Milan are imperative Traffic lights in Rome are suggestive Traffic lights in Palermo are decorative

I'm all in favour of recycling ( www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=58289) - Streaky