What do you do when the lights are down?

T-Maxx

Driving to work this morning I came up to a signal controlled junction where all 4 lights were flashing amber. As I sat and waited my turn, I was just gobsmacked at the behaviour of some people...

Gumbo

i just slow right down, and get going if theres a gap. i couldnt care what others do tbh, as i dont want them hitting my car wether i have right of way or not.

better to be safe than sorry imo

Hagar

Treat it as an non signal controlled junction and follow the appropriate rules for that. No much else you can do.

Eric Cartman

if its a major/minor road jnction (thats for whatever reason traffic lighted) and im on the major ill go straight through it (at reduced speed to compensate for people who dont believe in my ways) , a crossroads where all roads are even its whoevers to my right

Barr

I come accross one of these quite often and its crazy what some people do - they just bomb through them with no consideration.Other times its like a standoff as some people dont know who should go first.

Mena

I treat them as a four-way stop, FIFO style. This being said, a lot of people are brainless and think a non-working traffic light is license to nail the accelerator while staring blankly ahead of them, so extra care and attention must be paid.

alias no.9

Yield to traffic coming from the right. Roundabout analogy is good, treat it as if there's an imaginary roundabout in the centre of the junction.

Gregor Samsa

Try driving through Limerick City when there's a match in Thomond Park. They turn off all the traffic lights, leave the ambers to flash and let people get on with it.

For the most part, people seem to adopt a "close your eyes and hope for the best" tactic when going through the junctions, but that said, I've never actually seen any accidents.

Berty

What about the morons who stop at a flashing red light. The road passing through in one direction is flashing red and the other road is flashing orange.

I have lost count the number of idiots just sitting there. I just go around them. They are probably sitting there hours.

Manic Moran

I've been in the US so long (Treat as all-way stop-sign, first in, first out) that I can't recall what the official Irish policy is.

NTM

BlackWizard

I think it's great when everyone slows down and starts hesitating. I usually just pull right onto the junction and everyone tends to give way. Get the odd beep now and then though.

But if I'm driving straight through I usually just drive right through with caution and give way to anyone that plonks their car in the middle of the junction.

Dabko

I like to slip into something a little more comfortable, light some candles, pour a lovely glass of merlot and stick on some tracey chapman:D:D:D

Zube

T-Maxx wrote: »

As I sat and waited my turn, I was just gobsmacked at the behaviour of some people...

All across the continent, everyone is taught that if there are no signs saying who has right of way you must give way to the person to your right.

Same as here.

But we drive on the other side of the road...

DanGerMus

Absolutely anything...

Sabre Man

Who puts the light on flashing amber, ie. to whom can you complain?

Mallow doesn't have many traffic lights but the times they're flashing amber, which isn't that uncommon, is usually Saturday mornings or other times when traffic is reasonably heavy. There's one T junction which is very bad if you're coming from the wrong direction.

To me this makes no sense and actually makes traffic slower, not to mention more hazardous for pedestrians as well as cars.

DarkJager

Turn off the headlights, close your eyes and put your hands on the dash. Feels like being Superman when you cruise through the lights*

*Not to be taken seriously.......obviously*

Hagar

Priorities at a non signaled, or lights failed, crossroads where roads are of equal importance:

First of all obey any signage and road markings

Pedestrians already in the act of crossing the road
Traffic already proceeding through the junction
Traffic already turning in the junction
Traffic coming from your right
Traffic in a lane you may wish to change to in order to negotiate the junction
Exercise caution with regard to cyclists and motor cyclists, treat them as cars for the purpose of priority
Even when it seems that you have right of way be prepared to yield that right to avoid an accident.

Priorities at a non signaled, or lights failed, crossroads where roads are not of equal importance or t-junctions:

Unless road signs at the junction specify otherwise the straight through road on a t-junction is normally deemed to be the primary road.

First of all obey any signage and road markings

Pedestrians already in the act of crossing the road
Traffic already proceeding through the junction
Traffic already turning in the junction
Traffic on the primary road
Traffic coming from your right
Traffic in a lane you may wish to change to in order to negotiate the junction
Exercise caution with regard to cyclists and motor cyclists, treat them as cars for the purpose of priority
Even when it seems that you have right of way be prepared to yield that right to avoid an accident.


In all cases if you are joining the junction from a private road the public roads have priority.

That's the best I can do from memory. Any advances?

Dabko

Hagar wrote: »

That's the best I can do from memory. Any advances?

You done that from memory? Did you write the rule book by any chance!

Fair play!

Maddison

Id wait til it is safe to proceed but if there are idiots taking the proverbial Ill stick the hazards on & just go like flo

Hagar

Dabko wrote: »

Did you write the rule book by any chance?

No, when I was learning to drive there was only one rule, "Don't be cruel to your donkey".

T-Maxx

56 votes, (at least) 7 different behaviours, yeah, no wonder...

BlackWizard

Hagar wrote: »

Priorities at a non signaled, or lights failed, crossroads where roads are of equal importance:

First of all obey any signage and road markings

Pedestrians already in the act of crossing the road
Traffic already proceeding through the junction
Traffic already turning in the junction
Traffic coming from your right
Traffic in a lane you may wish to change to in order to negotiate the junction
Exercise caution with regard to cyclists and motor cyclists, treat them as cars for the purpose of priority
Even when it seems that you have right of way be prepared to yield that right to avoid an accident.

Priorities at a non signaled, or lights failed, crossroads where roads are not of equal importance or t-junctions:

Unless road signs at the junction specify otherwise the straight through road on a t-junction is normally deemed to be the primary road.

First of all obey any signage and road markings

Pedestrians already in the act of crossing the road
Traffic already proceeding through the junction
Traffic already turning in the junction
Traffic on the primary road
Traffic coming from your right
Traffic in a lane you may wish to change to in order to negotiate the junction
Exercise caution with regard to cyclists and motor cyclists, treat them as cars for the purpose of priority
Even when it seems that you have right of way be prepared to yield that right to avoid an accident.


In all cases if you are joining the junction from a private road the public roads have priority.

For those who are normal, here's a rough translation.

"Use common sense when going through the thing when the yokes are out."

T-Maxx

A colleague of mine reckons the behaviour of Irish drivers in such situations is governed by the following things:

1. Irish psyche - apparently it's a sign of weakness/inferiority to yield to someone (similiar to walking along a busy footpath with nobody wanting to give way.)
2. Lack of spacial awareness
3. Poor driving skills
4. Lack of common sense

No. 1 is an interesting theory, the rest I can certainly attest.