Traffic light camera have I been caught im worried??

[Jordy12397]

Sorry to bore anyone but just a quick one

Driving along the a6 as I approached the set of lights it started to change just before I was about to pass through, I’m pretty certain it was amber as I was passing. I didn’t want to slam on as there was a car behind me, I wasn’t speeding but I think I was to close to stop not 100% though as it was yesterday afternoon soon as I past the camera I checked for a flash and there was nothing, whether there suppose to flash I don’t know I’m not fully clued up on how they get you and whether they flash or not, anyone else been in a similar situation?

[Alucidnation]

You'll find out soon enough.

[Jordy12397]

Alucidnation said:

You'll find out soon enough.

How long does a nip normally take I know it’s 14 days wait but it can come earlier it’s all in my name and registered at the correct address, is there any course for this as I have clean licence and never attended any courses or is just a speed awareness course that they have?

[Cliftonite]

They flash.Twice. Brightly. A là Gatso speed camera. You would almost certainly have noticed it had it fired.

But only if you pass on red . Even then, there is a second (or so) 'grace' period.

Some (all?) are speed cameras too! So they catch the "race the amber before it changes" brigade as well!

Worry ye not!

[Cliftonite]

Jordy12397 said:

How long does a nip normally take I know it’s 14 days wait but it can come earlier it’s all in my name and registered at the correct address, is there any course for this as I have clean licence and never attended any courses or is just a speed awareness course that they have?

There is / was a course but I guess it may not be available country-wide?

[Pica-Pica]

Jordy12397 said:

Sorry to bore anyone but just a quick one

Driving along the a6 as I approached the set of lights it started to change just before I was about to pass through, I’m pretty certain it was amber as I was passing. I didn’t want to slam on as there was a car behind me, I wasn’t speeding but I think I was to close to stop not 100% though as it was yesterday afternoon soon as I past the camera I checked for a flash and there was nothing, whether there suppose to flash I don’t know I’m not fully clued up on how they get you and whether they flash or not, anyone else been in a similar situation?

It did not ‘start to change’. It changed - to amber. Ok to go through on amber. Amber is a warning for those further back.

[No ideas for a name]

Pica-Pica said:

It did not ‘start to change’. It changed - to amber. Ok to go through on amber. Amber is a warning for those further back.

Not okay to go through on amber. Amber means stop.

I don't have the reference in law available to hand, but the highway code says "AMBER means ‘Stop’ at the stop line. You may go on only if the AMBER appears after you have crossed the stop line or are so close to it that to pull up might cause an accident"

[Jordy12397]

No ideas for a name said:

Not okay to go through on amber. Amber means stop.

I don't have the reference in law available to hand, but the highway code says "AMBER means ‘Stop’ at the stop line. You may go on only if the AMBER appears after you have crossed the stop line or are so close to it that to pull up might cause an accident"

I was just pulling up to it I stop all the time but this time I was too close to stop surely
They can’t just make you slam on and potentially cause a crash, there was no flash, further down the road there’s another camera and it was just changing to red where a car was Turning left as he was going through it, that didn’t flash either and there was lines on the floor where as mine didn’t

[Lee540]

No ideas for a name said:

Not okay to go through on amber. Amber means stop.

I don't have the reference in law available to hand, but the highway code says "AMBER means ‘Stop’ at the stop line. You may go on only if the AMBER appears after you have crossed the stop line or are so close to it that to pull up might cause an accident"

I thought amber meant to hurry up and get through before it changes?

[BertBert]

Jordy12397 said:

I was just pulling up to it I stop all the time but this time I was too close to stop surely
They can’t just make you slam on and potentially cause a crash, there was no flash, further down the road there’s another camera and it was just changing to red where a car was Turning left as he was going through it, that didn’t flash either and there was lines on the floor where as mine didn’t

The clue is that all traffic lights change from green. When approaching them you are allowed to slow down. There is a loophole in the speed limit law that sometimes allows you to go less than the speed limit. HTH

Going through on amber is an offence. However there is a statutory defence If it being too dangerous to try and stop. So I strongly expect you are ok.

Bert

[Jordy12397]

BertBert said:

The clue is that all traffic lights change from green. When approaching them you are allowed to slow down. There is a loophole in the speed limit law that sometimes allows you to go less than the speed limit. HTH

Going through on amber is an offence. However there is a statutory defence If it being too dangerous to try and stop. So I strongly expect you are ok.

Bert

I’m not a Amber gambler but if I would of hit the brakes more than likely there would of been a crash, they changed all of a sudden just as I was about to go through them I was going 30 on a 30 and I checked the lights as I was going through and they was on Amber then I checked the camera and there was no flash to the best of my knowledge.

[Pica-Pica]

No ideas for a name said:

Pica-Pica said:

It did not ‘start to change’. It changed - to amber. Ok to go through on amber. Amber is a warning for those further back.

Not okay to go through on amber. Amber means stop.

I don't have the reference in law available to hand, but the highway code says "AMBER means ‘Stop’ at the stop line. You may go on only if the AMBER appears after you have crossed the stop line or are so close to it that to pull up might cause an accident"

Read my previous thread on braking at an amber and emergency brakes and hazards coming on.

[Jordy12397]

Pica-Pica said:

Read my previous thread on braking at an amber and emergency brakes and hazards coming on.

What about it

[vtchequers]

No ideas for a name said:

Not okay to go through on amber. Amber means stop.

I don't have the reference in law available to hand, but the highway code says "AMBER means ‘Stop’ at the stop line. You may go on only if the AMBER appears after you have crossed the stop line or are so close to it that to pull up might cause an accident"

Amber means get ready.


Edited to say I've just checked it out on a gov site and you're right!!

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highway-code/light...

Edited by vtchequers on Wednesday 27th June 22:37

[timberman]

I can't believe people seem to be confused on what's expected when approaching traffic lights.

To the Op,
unless you went through after the lights had changed to red and you saw several Flashes ( they don't all flash but most do and are very bright so very unlikely you would miss them) then you have nothing to worry about.

The cameras become active approx 1 second after the lights change to red at which point if your car passes over the conductive loop in the road it gets picked up by the sensors which triggers the camera.

Although an amber light is indeed a signal to stop, passing through when amber is showing is not an offence,
its there to act as a buffer between green and red in order to give you time to come to a halt if you can safely do so,
or pass through before the lights change to red if the act of stopping would create a dangerous situation.

The only way I can think of someone getting into any bother for going through an amber light is if they had time to stop but were caught deliberately accelerating to try and get through before the lights went to red.

[BertBert]

timberman said:

Although an amber light is indeed a signal to stop, passing through when amber is showing is not an offence,
.

You need to read more widely. It is an offence. As I said up there a bit.

[BertBert]

Jordy12397 said:

I’m not a Amber gambler but if I would of hit the brakes more than likely there would of been a crash, they changed all of a sudden just as I was about to go through them I was going 30 on a 30 and I checked the lights as I was going through and they was on Amber then I checked the camera and there was no flash to the best of my knowledge.

I'm not having a go or being arsey. But that's what lights do. They all change all of a sudden every single time they change. That's like a lot. You can actually slow down before lights to allow you more time to react to the absolute inevitable...the lights changing all of a sudden.
Bert

[Jordy12397]

BertBert said:

I'm not having a go or being arsey. But that's what lights do. They all change all of a sudden every single time they change. That's like a lot. You can actually slow down before lights to allow you more time to react to the absolute inevitable...the lights changing all of a sudden.
Bert

The a6 is very busy the time I was driving on it which is around 4pm, it’s mainly stop start all the way through, I was going 30mph same as the car behind, I’m not going to slow down for a set of lights that are on green even though Majority of the time I do get prepared to stop if they do change but I was to close to stop and if I would of slammed on there possibly could of been a crash as the car behind was travelling the same speed maybe a car away, today I was on the a6 again where i seen a golf go through the same traffic lights as it changed to red. getting points on my licence with how much my insurance is already is sickening, even though I’ve got 2 years NCB been driving just under 3 years and I’m 21 that’s why I get so worried

[speedking31]

BertBert said:

timberman said:

Although an amber light is indeed a signal to stop, passing through when amber is showing is not an offence,
.

You need to read more widely. It is an offence. As I said up there a bit.

Intriguing. What speed would you have to drive to ensure that you never crossed an amber light?

[speedking31]

TSR article 26 said:

the amber signal shall, when shown alone, convey the same prohibition as the red signal, except that, as respects any vehicle which is so close to the stop line that it cannot safely be stopped without proceeding beyond the stop line, it shall convey the same indication as the green signal or green arrow signal which was shown immediately before it;

No mention of a collision there.