Is it illegal to go through a light on amber?

[obi_waynne]

Heard about a man who was convicted for driving through a red light - although it was amber and not safe for him to stop.

It was his word against a policeman and he took it to court and was found guilty and fined £250 (costs!) There was no evidence to back up the policemans claim and he didn't even have a clear view of the lights.

(Obviously this could be a one sided gripe with many facts concealed or twisted but it does raise an interesting point.)

What about at a pedestrian crossing? Do you wait for green before you go or do you proceed on flashing amber if there is no-one crossing? What does the law say in these cases?

 

[Izo Azlion]

I was taught that Flashing Amber was fine to go through, and that Amber on a light is fine too - so long as you're not going through on red by the time you get there.

 

[Shao]

simple rule is if you can stop when you see amber then you stop. Amber is not green. As the highway code says green only means go if safe to do so. Flashing amber is fine to go through if no pedestrian is on or about to use the crossing

 

[Prince]

If I'm approaching a traffic light that suddenly changes from green to amber as I get there I tend to go through it. More often than not its safer to do so.

 

[pgarner]

i found this on the direct gov website under highway code

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelA...m?IdcService=GET_FILE&dID=95047&Rendition=Web

Amber means STOP at the stop line . You may go if the Amber appears after you have crossed the stop line or so close that if you were to pull up it may cause an accident


re pedestrian crossing i go as soon as my half of the roads clear and the amber lights on

 

[obi_waynne]

Interesting. So technically going through on Amber can land you in hot water.

Flashing amber though is alright to go on then?

 

[HDi fun]

Flashing amber is OK provided THE WHOLE CROSSING is clear of pedestrians. For example' you cannot go if there are still pedestrians on the other side of the road!!! This is the same rule as applied at zebra crossings.

As to the Green > Amber change the highway code states that you MUST stop if it's SAFE to do so.

To my mind the emphasis is on the word safe. Just because you are able to anchor up from 30mph in four yards doesn't make it sensible to do so. If nothing else it's bloody uncomfortable for your passengers.

I wonder how the Police panda car driver behind me would react if I stood on the brakes in response to an amber and he ran into the back of my car? Technically his fault for being too close, I suppose, but it would be a needless accident all the same.

Does the law say that you MUST NOT STOP if it would be dangerous to do so? NO.

And that's the subletly or stupidity of it.

I agree with Waynne - it's probably a one sided gripe with a lot of convenient omissions.

I can't see how a Policeman can decide that it's dangerous for you to go on amber yet it's safe for him to do so 2 seconds LATER!! Especially if the Police car is not showing emergency lights.

 

[DaveyL]

Flashing amber is OK provided THE WHOLE CROSSING is clear of pedestrians. For example' you cannot go if there are still pedestrians on the other side of the road!!! This is the same rule as applied at zebra crossings.

From what I know this is only true if it hasn't got an island in the middle. If it has, the the driver can go on a flashing amber light. I'd wait personally plus pedestrians have right of way on the road too.

Works the same with zebra crossings, if they are crossing from your side to the other, you have to wait unless their is an island with bollards etc in the middle, then you can set off once they have crossed your side of the road.

Dave

 

[SLEEPER]

Amber and red mean STOP
green means go if its safe to do so.
Flashing amber means you can go if no one is on the crossing

However In the real world

Green means drive through regardlesss
amber means Thank F*** its not red yet
Red means stop if you can
Flashing amber means bugger missed him


Flashing amber only appears on controller crossings

 

[Izo Azlion]

Amber and red mean STOP
green means go if its safe to do so.
Flashing amber means you can go if no one is on the crossing

However In the real world

Green means drive through regardlesss
amber means Thank F*** its not red yet
Red means stop if you can
Flashing amber means bugger missed him


Flashing amber only appears on controller crossings

Thats generally the way I think of it, a mix of those two.

 

[obi_waynne]

It is interesting that we are probably all guilty of jumping Amber lights. If a policeman was having a bad day or didn't like the look of us he could get us under the letter of the law. I am going to slightly revise my own attitude to Amber, especially with all of the cameras that are being installed.

In London the lights change really quickly, down here Amber seems to last for ages.