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Why are so many breaking red lights?

michael.dublin

Hi All, more an open question then anything, WHY are so many braking red lights? on my way to work, (on cycle) I see this every morning without failure, every single time the light goes to red, another 3 or 4 cars goes over, do the people that do this not realise how unbelievable dangerous this is ? Not rocket science, if you have red, someone else have green…
Now I work with insurance, and every day, I talk to people that have been involved, in accident this way and to be honest, I am chocked by the mentality so many motorist have, it’s all me me me. and so many don’t care about the what could happen, in my work, I have seen a lot of really bad accidents this way, and it makes me wonder even more, why people don’t just stop then the light is red, really can’t understand this one bit.
I know many people would say, sure I’ll just take a chance nothing will happen, well maybe not the first 100 times, but then one day it will happen, and if you are lucky only minor damage will happen.. if you are lucky, if you are not someone could end up dead.
Now i don’t want this to be a discussion about who is breaking the red light the most, cyclist or car owners. It is about WHY you break the red light.

Just to end this, I like to say the following to people that breaks the red light. Next time you run a red light, imagine this, someone else is in your place, breaking a red light, and they hit another car… in this car, one of your love one is in it, this person (your wife, child, mother, farther) is killed due to this person breaking a red light. Just think about it, is it worth breaking the light, and running the risk killing someone ???
To everyone out there, have a nice day, take care, and please next time the light is yellow, it will go red, please stop.

Michael

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Outkast_IRE

Simply there is no Gardai at junctions enforcing any of the rules.
I remember from about 2000 to 2007 in cork anyway the traffic corps would pick different junctions each morning and have 4 or 5 personnel manning them from all approaches to monitor for breaking lights/ mobile phones etc. I have not seen them doing this in years around cork.

If the correct number of Gardai were on the streets and on traffic corps it would help alot.

Along with the cameras that will fine you if you break a red.

kippy

Riskymove wrote: »

it really isn't that new to people surely?

people speed, overtake in bad places, they break lights, tailgate etc

Most do it based on a judgment call in the circumstances at the time

I don't think that Corktina is suggesting that he just sails through junctions as if lights are not there swerving through traffic or running over people

Indeed, however the rules are there for a reason.
If everyone made the same "judgement calls" the road would be littered with bodies as there are plainly people out there whose judgement sucks and as such they need rules to abide by and to be measured against.
There is a reason why people are not given the right to make judgements in certain scenarios on the road.

Alanstrainor

Nearly got T-boned this morning by an idiot tearing through a light which had been RED for 2 seconds or more. I was already in the middle of the junction at this stage. Dangerous business.

SpaceTime

I'd an incident in Cork yesterday which went something like this:

Driving along - Lights ahead were red (I was significantly far from them).
Lights changed to green, I was still maybe 6-8 seconds from them, so continued at close to same speed as junction was completely clear and I was coming to a green light which had already changed to green for 5+ seconds.

Idiot breaks red lights maybe 5+ seconds after they must have gone red.

HE then starts beeping at me as if I did something wrong!

A lot of the time this isn't even someone just going through a bit close to the change to red on an amber, they're breaking the lights long after they've changed.

I'm also getting very fed up with drivers just sailing through green pedestrian lights because they have gone past a green that changed to red.

If you've passed the lights and gotten stuck, check if the pedestrian light's green, it's bloody obvious .. don't drive though it! Instead wait for it to go back to a red man before continuing.

Voodoomelon

Caught this last year, busiest junction in Dundalk and a good 5-6 seconds late.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXQ_imYC1Js

Riskymove

kippy wrote: »

There is a reason why people are not given the right to make judgements in certain scenarios on the road.

of course but I don't believe anyone is arguing anything different and everyone accepts it is illegal

But life is rarely as black and white as discussions like these portray

there is a vast array of different circumstances and scenarios

SpaceTime

One other one that really annoys me in Cork (does this happen in Dublin too?)

A % of drivers think it's completely fine to just turn left (or sometimes right) on a junction where you've a green straight ahead arrow and a full red light displaying, or sometimes even on the newer ones with a red fly light!

Instead of waiting for the fly light, they will just turn and often go straight across green pedestrian crossings. I've nearly been run over by this kind of thing a few times in the city centre as a pedestrian (especially at that junction at the Bus Station at Brian Boru Bridge).

Also while driving, I've had drivers get extremely aggressive and blast the horn when I stopped (correctly) in the right turning position on a full red light with a straight ahead arrow green showing. One woman literally held down the horn throwing her hands up in the air and drove to within a cm of my bumper.

SpaceTime

Voodoomelon wrote: »

Caught this last year, busiest junction in Dundalk and a good 5-6 seconds late.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

That's quite common, I actually know one French guy who thought that it was completely legal to turn on red lights here as that's the case in France (unless a red + symbol is displayed). He'd been doing that for about 4 years here!

JBokeh

I followed the gards through a red light off St Patricks hill onto macCurtain street because I was following blindly,pulled me and asked why I broke it "Sure i was following you" Left me off after a bit of a chuckle,it was about 12.30am so it wasn't exactly busy

If it weren't for bombing through orange lights in Cork the place would have traffic jams that last for days,provided you're not blocking the junction when you do it. You get about 3 cars right onto Grand parade from Washington street on the green,and another 6 on the orange until the pedestrian crossing outside the english market is blocked.

Don't agree with driving taximan style and blatantly breaking a red while its green for another side,but zipping through an orange or a "Dim red" once you do it smart and don't end up stopped across the junction generally has a blind eye turned

kippy

Riskymove wrote: »

of course but I don't believe anyone is arguing anything different and everyone accepts it is illegal

But life is rarely as black and white as discussions like these portray

there is a vast array of different circumstances and scenarios

Indeed, however as I've said, the rules should be followed. There is a distinct increase in red light breakers. While I am sure people are able to make their own decisions on when to break them, I ain't happy if every idiot on the road is making their own life or death decisions that could have far more impact on my life than that of their own.

Viper_JB

Not sure if it's worse in Cork then any other part of the country, I live in Cork and it is really bad would be unusual in a day not to see some incredibly dangerous examples and lately people parking illegally in the City seems to just be rampant not sure if they fire all the traffic wardens or something :S. What really grinds my gears is when someone breaks the lights and ends up stuck in a yellow box in front of you making sure that no one can go anywhere when they have a green...
What I would say though is it definitely isn't so much of a problem when you cross the boarder, with the yellow to green light change seems to make all the difference, people are starting to move from greens before they're fully changed so generally breaking red lights is a lot more risky there.

bazz26

I think alot of it is a case of lemmings syndrome where they just follow the car in front through, ah sure if he makes it, I'll make it.

And there should be no need for a Garda at every road junction, drivers should be capable of beying traffic lights.

hoodwinked

in Douglas in Cork it is particularly bad lately, but then the new Tesco shopping center has inflamed the traffic problem with two terrible new light junctions,

but in the mornings especially at the end of the donnybrook hill cars keep coming down the hill into the yellow box even when the road after the box is blocked with traffic and the light to turn right from the park side has been green for a good few seconds, this then encourages people coming from the park side to continue through their red light in an attempt to get the cars that would have made it if the hill lot hadn't gone through red through too,

it always happens around dennehy's cross too. it's like a "i would have made it if you hadn't broken the rules so i will too"

many a time i have been blasted at for daring to stop when i know my light is going red,i can see how anyone else would panic and keep going luckily i can hold my own.

ardmacha

SpaceTime wrote: »

One other one that really annoys me in Cork (does this happen in Dublin too?)

A % of drivers think it's completely fine to just turn left (or sometimes right) on a junction where you've a green straight ahead arrow and a full red light displaying, or sometimes even on the newer ones with a red fly light!

Instead of waiting for the fly light, they will just turn and often go straight across green pedestrian crossings. I've nearly been run over by this kind of thing a few times in the city centre as a pedestrian (especially at that junction at the Bus Station at Brian Boru Bridge).

Also while driving, I've had drivers get extremely aggressive and blast the horn when I stopped (correctly) in the right turning position on a full red light with a straight ahead arrow green showing. One woman literally held down the horn throwing her hands up in the air and drove to within a cm of my bumper.

There is a very strong case for a camera at such junctions.
Some of the comments here about concentration on speeding and nothing else are over the top, but it does seem odd that there seems to no perceived need for a single red light camera in the State.

SpaceTime

Cork City Council could make a small fortune from light-mounted cameras!

SpaceTime

I genuinely think Cork City has some of Ireland's most aggressive and pushy drivers. It's the only place (more aggressive than Dublin) that I have ever had someone drive up to my bumper (happened a few times) in an intimidating manner, blasting the horn when I was in the correct lane, obeying a traffic light / turning lane.

I remember being in a lane which had left and right markings at the top and I was turning light. A fly light came on for the left turn and a full red for everything else. The guy behind me started beeping and revving his engine, then actually hit my back bumper!

NIMAN

People have no patience any more.

Too much anger on the roads, and people in too much of a hurry to get places.

If anyone is ever on LiveLeak you will see some of the carnage that jumping red lights can do.

I'd like to see a heavy penalty for those jumping red lights, maybe 5 pts or €500 fine.

Chris_Heilong

I dont see this activity very much at all, the odd car will pass just as the light switches to red which is a result of missing the yellow at the last sec(which is a whole other argument), I have seen cars late at night in wait at red and because there are no other cars around decide to break the light, it was very safe to do so in this situation but a total disregard for the rules.

I hate the idea of been monitored at all times and the UK sounds like a terrible place to drive in.

CramCycle

Chris_Heilong wrote: »

I dont see this activity very much at all, the odd car will pass just as the light switches to red which is a result of missing the yellow at the last sec(which is a whole other argument), I have seen cars late at night in wait at red and because there are no other cars around decide to break the light, it was very safe to do so in this situation but a total disregard for the rules.

I see it every morning and evening. During rush hour traffic, typically 3 cars per junction after the red has turned, and peak times it usually ends up with someone in the yellow box, delaying crossing traffic and leading to jams within two light sequence rotations.

The oddest is those who go mental at those who do stop correctly and legally, at least once a week I see a person with a face so red I fear they are a raging alcoholic having a heart attack, beeping the horn, hands flying everywhere, presumably F'in and Blinding because the car in front thought, better not, the two cars in front was enough of a pisstake going through the red.

Once I had a guy get out of his van when I was cycling because he thought I was stopped at the red to annoy him, another time on O'Connell bridge a van rolled down his window to tell me that cyclists are allowed run reds if its clear.

Three days ago (caught on camera) a L plate went through a Red that I had stopped at that had changed a few seconds before. Luckily, and I don't know how they copped it, the traffic coming out of the T junction stopped. No rush anywhere, I had caught up with the driver before the next lights, 35metres down the road.

ardmacha

This is indeed common. I sometimes go through am orange light, feeling a bit guilty about not slamming on, but when I look in the mirror two or three behind me have come through also, when the light is plainly red.

I wouldn't favour a large number of penalty points on the basis of a camera, as particular instances may arise. I would favour an algorithm on such a camera that also would tag the dangerous cases and prosecution in court for these people with a higher number of points.

michael.dublin

so a lot of people are willing to risk their life’s and other peoples life, for the sake of waiting a little bit ? Just makes no sense, personally I rather wait 2 minuets and get to there I have to go, then never to arrive

Chris_Heilong

ah yes, sometimes I forget I dont drive during rush hour.

CramCycle

ardmacha wrote: »

I would favour an algorithm on such a camera that also would tag the dangerous cases and prosecution in court for these people with a higher number of points.

Thats actually a great idea, break a red on two or three separate occasions i.e. different days, then its not an emergency or a special case, it's mockery of the law.

Alanstrainor

michael.dublin wrote: »

so a lot of people are willing to risk their life’s and other peoples life, for the sake of waiting a little bit ? Just makes no sense, personally I rather wait 2 minuets and get to there I have to go, then never to arrive

Easy to say....but all to easy to run the light for most. See it every day, multiple times a day even. That is not a thought that goes through peoples minds, all they are doing is looking at the lights go green far back in traffic, wanting to get through, and just go for it when they reach the top. Stupid and dangerous, but i doubt much thought goes into it.

ardmacha

CramCycle wrote: »

Thats actually a great idea, break a red on two or three separate occasions i.e. different days, then its not an emergency or a special case, it's mockery of the law.

Not only that, but 10 secs after a red is one thing, 40 secs after another.

dre_jspeed

I commute to and from Dublin city centre along the canal during the week and I see this at every junction along my route. It's crazy Red means stop people.

And just in case anyone was wondering about the yellow boxes on the ground.
"You must not enter a yellow box area unless you can clear it without stopping"."An exception is when you want to turn right. In this case, you may enter the yellow box junction while waiting for a gap in traffic coming from the opposite direction. However, don’t enter the box if to do so would block other traffic that has the right of way." Taken from the rules of the road.

michael.dublin

well it could be down to the nature of my job, dealing with accident every day, that I simply would not break a red light.

dodzy

How about you're stopped at a T junction. You have 2 options once lights are in your favour - Left or right turn.

No filter light(s) available from your side of the T junction. Just a green for both left and right.

Now let us say that the traffic from your left is green for straight along with a right arrow green filter. You have no filter to turn left ( which you should ), just a red light.

In this situation, I go through the red, every time.

Valetta

dodzy wrote: »

How about you're stopped at a T junction. You have 2 options once lights are in your favour - Left or right turn.

No filter light(s) available from your side of the T junction. Just a green for both left and right.

Now let us say that the traffic from your left is green for straight along with a right arrow green filter. You have no filter to turn left ( which you should ), just a red light.

In this situation, I go through the red, every time.

Are you breaking a green for pedestrians?

A lot of junctions like the one you've described will have a pedestrian island in the middle, and a green man to allow them cross half-way.

There is always a reason for a red light.

dodzy

michael.dublin wrote: »

so a lot of people are willing to risk their life’s and other peoples life, for the sake of waiting a little bit ? Just makes no sense, personally I rather wait 2 minuets and get to there I have to go, then never to arrive

You're probably the one that sits at a red light for 3+ mins, then doesn't move off at green until about 10secs into the 30sec cycle.