Running reds at night

mawk

I was just driving home there and there was a squad car in front of me. we both pulled up towards a junction with a red light and after slowing to see was there something coming the squad car just ploughed through the light. I stopped and waited on the green before carrying on and catching up to the guards who were actually waiting on the next light due to traffic.
trailing behind them the next little while they were clearly in no hurry to go anywhere, just driving around.

made me wonder;

1. If I had followed them through the lights would they bollixk me for it?
2. does everyone else ignore reds when they are alone on the road?

Stinicker

This is typical of the guards, "Don't do as I do, but do as I tell you", Saw a guard recently double parked (squad car) outside a chipper on double yellow lines, He was coming out with some food and I remarked in a snide fashion to him "nice parking guard" only to get a remark, "I'll do what I want" in a fairly thick attitude by him, I just walked off shaking my head.

Tallon

I merged with a road once that had an orange filter light, the gaurds happened to be not to far from the junction and sped up to pull me over

Insisted I had to have run a red light as theirs was green!

I explained a million times, and they still didn't believe me! Idiots

Jagle

do it all the time, always slow to make sure no car is coming but almost always run em, unless its a dangerous junction.

i too have been behind/across from guards at night whove done this, tho i wait for the green because i know they will pull me on it

Ghost Train

won't say I've never done it
if it's middle of night and nobody about, maybe

have seen taxi's do it a while back

dan hibiki

Jagle wrote: »

do it all the time, always slow to make sure no car is coming but almost always run em, unless its a dangerous junction.

i too have been behind/across from guards at night whove done this, tho i wait for the green because i know they will pull me on it

The Bishop Basher

Sitting in a cafe eating my breakfast last week I watched a guard park up on double yellow lines and run accross the road into the bookies. He wasn't there long but he wouldn't accept that excuse if it was the other way round !! And how often have you seen them on the phone while driving ?? They ignore the laws they're paid to enforce.

Berty

I would happily run a red light in the middle of the night if the road was visible to see and clear. I would not creep around a blind corner for example. However, if every traffic light were fitted with ground sensors then there would be no need for it.

And guys. Why has this become yet another Garda bashing thread?

bigneacy

Beer Baron wrote: »

And guys. Why has this become yet another Garda bashing thread?

I'd hazard a guess - 'cause it's fun?

Del2005

Swanner wrote: »

Sitting in a cafe eating my breakfast last week I watched a guard park up on double yellow lines and run accross the road into the bookies. He wasn't there long but he wouldn't accept that excuse if it was the other way round !! And how often have you seen them on the phone while driving ?? They ignore the laws they're paid to enforce.

It's been done to death here. The Gardaí are exempt from the majority of road traffic laws when on duty, though they should lead by example.

Never mind running reds at night, I now brake if I'm approaching a just on Green light during the day for the amount of people who power through 30 seconds after their light goes red.

I've driven through plenty of red lights at night, you can't trip the induction sensor on motorbikes, but I always fully stop and only proceed with caution when in the car or on the bike.

EPM

bigneacy wrote: »

I'd hazard a guess - 'cause it's fun?

Well the fun ends here. Keep it on topic or don't post. Any Garda bashing for the sake of it will result in a ban.

muff03

It makes sense not to stop in the night time, especially in the quite hours. If they were all fitted with ground sensors then fine, but otherwise they're actually causing traffic. Yes you are breaking the law, but if there's nobody around....

It makes sense to me anyway

Midnight_EG

Anytime I do break a red light at night, I feel guilty about it straight away




On the other hand, if a guard pulls you for it, I'd imagine he'd say 'You just broke that red light', Response 'No guard, it was like that when I got there'

Ardennes1944

i just watch for the amber lights on the other traffic lights, i like to time it so that im just moving past the lights as they go green:)

Terrontress

Taxi drivers always slow down approaching a green in the hope it will go red and they'll be stuck for another few minutes, notching up a few Euro on to the meter.

It is something to be wary of, I always keep a good distance behind a taxi when coming up to lights as they always take their foot off the power, regardless of the colour of the lights.

Buffman

Portsmouth is looking at trying flashing amber lights at night. I'd be in favour of this being done here aswell.

kippy

Terrontress wrote: »

Taxi drivers always slow down approaching a green in the hope it will go red and they'll be stuck for another few minutes, notching up a few Euro on to the meter.

It is something to be wary of, I always keep a good distance behind a taxi when coming up to lights as they always take their foot off the power, regardless of the colour of the lights.

I have NEVER seen this happen. (Based in Galway but lived in Dublin for a few years and I don't think I noticed it at all)

As for the Gardai running reds - I guess it's one of the perks of the job to be honest.
You'd often see members of the force using mobiles while driving as well. I would have assumed there were certain laws that didnt apply to the emergency services.

Terrontress

kippy wrote: »

I have NEVER seen this happen. (Based in Galway but lived in Dublin for a few years and I don't think I noticed it at all)

As for the Gardai running reds - I guess it's one of the perks of the job to be honest.
You'd often see members of the force using mobiles while driving as well. I would have assumed there were certain laws that didnt apply to the emergency services.

Keep an eye out for it. It definitely happens. I first noticed it from inside the cab. The rattling of the Fiat Scudo engine would subside as you approach a green and only kick back in to life as you cross the line.

TestTransmission

kippy wrote: »

I would have assumed there were certain laws that didnt apply to the emergency services.

There is,they're exempt from certain traffic laws while on duty

Del2005

Terrontress wrote: »

Taxi drivers always slow down approaching a green in the hope it will go red and they'll be stuck for another few minutes, notching up a few Euro on to the meter.

In all my lessons, A/B/C/CE/D, I was always told to remove my foot from the throttle when approaching a green light so that you can slow down and be able to stop when the lights go Amber.

An amber light means that you must not go beyond the stop line or, if there is no stop line, beyond the light. However, you may go on if you are so close to the line or the light when the amber light first appears that stopping would be dangerous.

The Taxi drivers for once are driving correctly, but for totally the wrong reason.

Mc Love

Has anyone noticed the increasing trend of breaking the lights at all times of the day!? Seems people just dont want to stop and even keep driving when the light has turned red, when they could have easily stopped