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 ?
RyanOPlasty said:
I braked gently to a halt at the line.
What if anything could I have done differently in this situation ?
Should I do this routinely anyway as a defensive measure ?
Braking gently always good - generally it gives the driver behind a chance to anticipate your behaviour.What if anything could I have done differently in this situation ?
Should I do this routinely anyway as a defensive measure ?
In this instance, probably not a lot you could have done - dimwit follower not aware of his surroundings. Sometimes you can do all the right things and still have a non-fault bingle.
Should you routinely go through amber - not in my view. The Highway code says "AMBER means ‘Stop’ at the stop line. You may go on only if the AMBER appears after you have crossed the stop line or are so close to it that to pull up might cause an accident". If you anticipated the driver behind would stop, going through is not the right decision.
What you can do is still be aware of the vehicle behind, perhaps use the brake pedal to flash your brake lights to see if they react. Possibly also be prepared to stop slightly short and roll forward to the line if you think the vehicle behind is unaware of what's going on.
If you see erratic behaviour regularly at this roundabout then I would make a point of slowing down earlier than you would do normally to give those following plenty of time to respond; no guarantee that another impact would be avoided but you are at least giving yourself more breathing space - also a touch of the brake pedal again earlier than normal way wake up the following driver. I certainly wouldnt make a policy of driving through on amber, given what you have said about other drivers at this roundabout you are likely to collide with somebody who also decides to go through on red/amber...
Keith
Keith
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