Traffic Lights on roundabouts
Discussion
Yesterday I was rear-ended after stopping at an amber light part way round a roundabout.
The lights had been green for a considerable time, so I was expecting a change and ready to stop. The car behind me was a few seconds back as I approached the roundabout. I braked gently to a halt at the line.
Observing behaviour at roundabouts with traffic lights it seems to me that many drivers treat them differently to other traffic lights. Often on my morning commute when waiting at the stop line for a green light the cars either side have already crossed the line before a green light appears. Similarly I often see two cars crossing the line after the red light appears.
On this partcular roundabout, the lights on the roundabout change to red a few seconds before those at the entry. Ths results in cars accelerating to beat the red light only to find the traffic a few yards in fromt of them stationary.
What if anything could I have done differently in this situation ?
If there had been a car close behind me then I may have continued instead of stopping at the amber, knowing the red was still a couple of seconds away.
Should I do this routinely anyway as a defensive measure ?
The lights had been green for a considerable time, so I was expecting a change and ready to stop. The car behind me was a few seconds back as I approached the roundabout. I braked gently to a halt at the line.
Observing behaviour at roundabouts with traffic lights it seems to me that many drivers treat them differently to other traffic lights. Often on my morning commute when waiting at the stop line for a green light the cars either side have already crossed the line before a green light appears. Similarly I often see two cars crossing the line after the red light appears.
On this partcular roundabout, the lights on the roundabout change to red a few seconds before those at the entry. Ths results in cars accelerating to beat the red light only to find the traffic a few yards in fromt of them stationary.
What if anything could I have done differently in this situation ?
If there had been a car close behind me then I may have continued instead of stopping at the amber, knowing the red was still a couple of seconds away.
Should I do this routinely anyway as a defensive measure ?
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