Driving in the Philippines

En el artículo , Gordon H escribió:

Amber does mean stop.

Highway code rule 175: "You MUST stop behind the white ?Stop? line across your side of the road unless the light is green."

That is the ideal situation, and I always try to stop for amber (yellow light). But by the law of probability, once in a while, perhaps 1% of the time, it is impossible to stop for amber unless attempting undue hard braking which would crash the car behind me.

So should I care about the car behind me? No not necessarily, but I care about my own car being crunched at the rear end?

Interesting enough, in these 1% borderline situatioons where I have to cross during amber, I'm often followed by 2 or 3 others cars. The trick they use is driving up very close, such as appearng like one very long vehichle for the drivers waiting from the other side. Perhaps even fooling the cameras into thinking that the same vehicle is crossing?

And when they change to amber and you're 1 metre from the line?

Both before and after my Safe Driving course I have many times been followed through lights on amber, and thought "Good job I didn't brake hard"!

I see red lights blatantly ignored every time I drive, and it rankles that I was charged with my first traffic offence in 60 years driving in what I consider was a marginal situation.

If there was a camera on every set of lights it would be a good source of revenue, to add to the speed cameras' haul from idiots who ignore speed limits. ;-)

?? line

Completely: "175

You MUST stop behind the white ?Stop? line across your side of the road unless the light is green. If the amber light appears you may go on only if you have already crossed the stop line or are so close to it that to stop might cause a collision."

Sensibly, Stop unless it would be stupid to do so.

Incidentally, in Michigan, and maybe elsewhere, even if you are in the right when somebody does something silly, if you did not avoid a collision when you could have done, you are also in the wrong.

Very true and morally right, but doesn't seem to be respected in the UK. Drivers would prefer to crash just to show that they're in the right.

side of the

And that's the thinking that the Michigan law is intended to overcome. A missed collision is a good result.

En el artículo , Gordon H escribió:

You didn't look up rule 175, did you? Had you done that, you'd have the answer to your question.

You didn't quote rule 175 in its entirety, did you?

Did you look up typical thinking/braking distance?

At 20mph the total distance is 12 metres, which would stop you right in the middle of the junction.

Is this the 30 minute argument, I only paid for 5 minutes?

En el artículo , Gordon H escribió:

Don't change the subject. We're talking about going through a light on amber. If you can't stop in time for an amber light, you're going too fast for the conditions. Simple.

For what it's worth, I don't care either way. I've gone through amber lights many a time and pay little attention to speed limits, but drive according to the prevailing conditions.

The only ticket I ever got was 30 years ago for doing 35 in an area with ambiguous signage, meaning no one knew if it was a 30 or a 40. The copper who zapped me with his gadget made it clear if I argued he would do me for not wearing a seat belt as well. So for once I decided discretion was the better part of valour and kept my mouth shut :)

Simply wrong.

Of course, but the 5 minute argument is over. ;-)