I received a prosecution notice today for a red light that I went through on the 1st October. apparently the light had been on red for 1.1 seconds when I passed through it. does anyone know the threshold of what is deemed acceptable? also a fair amount of time has passed since the incident, do they not have to act within a certain time frame?
Your're nicked, mate
Can't hack the time, don't do the crime.
You know you're meant to stop when it goes amber, right? 😉
Edit: Bloody cyclists! 😀
Edit again: REminds me of when my boss went on a speed awareness course. While there another 'participant' was complaining about being caught for only going 2mph over the limit. The people running the course were adamant that she wouldn't be there for that, she was adamant that she was.
They asked her how fast she was going. "38mph in a 30 zone. But you get 10% plus a few more, so I was only 2mph over the 36mph limit" 😆
Firstly, I give this thread 15 mins.
Secondly, sorry to sound patronising but the only light that means go is green. I think you need to accept the fine and move on
I thought amber meant accelerate?
Next time gun it on amber and you should be OK.
Three_FishI thought amber meant accelerate?
He obviously didn't accelerate hard enough though if it had been on red for a full second! Sucks to be you, a real mans car wouldn't have been caught...
Secondly, sorry to sound patronising but the only light that means go is green. I think you need to accept the fine and move on
My driving instructor said to me "If a light is green expect it to go red" so most of the time I slow down a few mph coming towards a green light and only speed up once I know it's not possible for me to go through it on red. I say most of the time because occasionally I have run a red after [s]coming up to lights too fast[/s] driving like a knob.
does anyone know the threshold of what is deemed acceptable
There is an acceptable threshold of a few seconds usually. It's well known and publicised. In fact, they often show an indicator light for the duration of the grace period. I think it's a sort of amber colour.
"He obviously didn't accelerate hard enough" yeah a clear example.of where a fast car would be way safer.
6 month limitation of proceedings you've been served your notice of intended prosecution........so my advice is take your points and fine and be a lot more cautious and don't try and beat the Amber in future at least if you had stopped you would have a case to try and argue ie slippery road surface etc.
I'm with northernmatt. Entirely.
Though when I get my new Golf R estate.....
6 month limit to get in touch with you, i waited 4 months before my speeding came through! In terms of the offence I'm pretty sure that if both axles are over the stop line before it turns red you're ok, anything after you're not.
molgrips - Member
a clear example.of where a fast car would be way safer.
😆
If you go through close enough to the bumper of the car in front, you can't see the lights, so they don't apply to you. Fact.
Threshold of what's deemed acceptable? 0 seconds. The amber light did give you advance warning.
I'm 100% sure you just made that up!In terms of the offence I'm pretty sure that if both axles are over the stop line before it turns red you're ok
? also a fair amount of time has passed since the incident, do they not have to act within a certain time frame?
Yeah, but don't tell Rolf Harris, he'd be furious.
zilog6128 - Member
In terms of the offence I'm pretty sure that if both axles are over the stop line before it turns red you're ok
I'm 100% sure you just made that up!
You sure? I Heard it off a mate who heard it off his wife's brothers ex girlfriend who previously went out with someone whose dad used to go to the gym with a traffic cop, so it's a pretty credible and verifiable source. 😉
Seems about right though.
Suck it up.
I got flashed going through a red light about 5 years ago - I was also about a second late but seeing as it was 9:00pm and I was rushing my daughter to hospital with a head injury I thought I'd get through in time.
Even though I had proof that my daughter was admitted 5 mins after the incident I didn't bother contesting it.
if a light is green expect it to go red
So are all the amber bulbs gone? 😉
If you went through a red 1.1 seconds after it had come on you need to rethink your driving style. I'm glad I hadn't just pulled away from my green light...
I tend to expect light-jumpers these days, especially after a large lorry came through a red the other month! Doesn't excuse them, before you say 'Well you'll be ok then'!.
So are all the amber bulbs gone?
<pedant mode>
Technically the bulbs are all white and the lenses are different colours, so yes all the amber bulbs have gone because they don't exist.
</pedant mode>
in plymouth all the traffic light cameras have been converted to gatso's as well, so I beat the red, but I got done for speeding instead...live and learn.
It is a brave thing to admit on here that you are a less than perfect driver - it is like popping up on Mumsnet and admitting to being Jimmy Savile.
Zero tolerance on red. Amber allows you to react and stop.
In terms of the offence I'm pretty sure that if both axles are over the stop line before it turns red you're ok
I'm 100% sure you just made that up!
Actually I am pretty sure he must be right. To define the offence in law there must surely be a point where you are "safe" (in a prosecution sense) and that is logically the stop line.
Otherwise you could cross at low speed on green in traffic be stopped within a few feet of the line but without a line of sight to the traffic lights. Move off as the road clears and get prosecuted.
If you look at where the pressure pads in the road are, they are on both sides of the stop line everywhere I have ever seen them, which suggests the same conclusion.
I love a good troll. I bet the OP is nursing a semi right now...
The amount of cars that clog up our crossroads then actually continue through a red light while its beeping for people to cross staggers me.
Put a pcso there and arrest all of them. ****ers.
Also the law for car drivers seems to be red plus one more car before they stop.
That's 'World Leading Beacon of Road Safety and Infrastructure Cambodia'?
OP Don't read the bloke released from a whole life term for kiddy fiddling after 2 years thread cos, apparently, you've just admitted to being a nonce.
I'd take the points and avoid parks/swimming pools for a bit if I were you
does anyone know the threshold of what is deemed acceptable?
How do you mean by 'acceptable'? To the law or morally? I'd hazard that your answer is "none at all"; as the professional hand-wringers of STW have pointed out, that's what the amber light is for. Amber means stop, red means stop and you can be prosecuted if you don't.
also a fair amount of time has passed since the incident, do they not have to act within a certain time frame?
They have six months to serve the NIP (not that this is unrelated to how long it takes for you to get it). Beyond that, congratulations, you got away with it, don't do it again. Next time it could be a RLJing cyclist's face, etc.
Traffic light controlled roundabouts. You're in traffic and pass the stop line for the traffic light - on green. Traffic stops. Lights go red. You're on a roundabout, traffic gives way to the right entering a roundabout. Cars joining the roundabout from your left pile on because they have s green light and take offence when you want to continue on your way....
I think they have 14 days to get an NIP out to the registered keeper. The RK names the driver who in turn gets there own paperwork.
Is it a company/Lease car. That will explain the delay in getting the NIP to you. If its not and its yours, have you just bought it? the DVLA can take a while to update records so it may have gone to previous keeper.
if its yours and has been for a while they might be out of time to serve the NIP.
You will probably be offered an awareness course which keeps the points of the license.
Pepipoo is a fairly decent resource for this sort of stuff
now for the preachy bit..
the Amber phase of a light is 3 seconds, you then passed red 1.1 seconds after it turned
that's 4.4 seconds in which to stop. that's plenty.
Edit
Couger, I think its 6 months to set court dates.
I think they have 14 days to get an NIP out to the registered keeper.
Apologies, you're right and I'm wrong, I had a brainfart when typing that.
Can't imagine the timer would work out well tbh. Imagine the Golf R estate driver trying to make progress when he sees 5 seconds remaining with 100m to go....
Same thing happened to me a couple of years ago,as I had a clean licence I was given (and took) the option of being 're educated' and getting no points on my licence.On the day of the course there were a lot of people there and it was surprising how many had been 'flashed' at the same set of lights
Since we're being pedantic I'd just like to point out Bucko is wrong green means go [b]if it is safe to do so [/b] pedant mode disengaged 😈
^ Really. Round here it seems to mean side step the clutch without looking (but only if you have not already got 100 yards down the road on the red + amber).
Can't imagine the timer would work out well tbh. Imagine the Golf R estate driver trying to make progress when he sees 5 seconds remaining with 100m to go....
Cheeky glance at the speedo - if >45mph then carry on as before 😉
Since we're being pedantic I'd just like to point out Bucko is wrong green means go if it is safe to do so pedant mode disengaged
And red means stop if it is safe to do so, as does amber.
Cheeky glance at the speedo
Noo... that's way too dangerous remember?
So,
Is it 6 months or 14 days?
Every time I think I may have done something naughty, or if I've done a load of driving in a short period, I've always in the past breathed a sigh of relief when no letters arrived after 14 days.
Have I been deluding myself? Could a stack of fines arrive in tomorrows post from months ago?!
https://www.gov.uk/speeding-penalties
I assume that counts for red-lights too?By law, the vehicle’s registered keeper must be sent a notice of intended prosecution within 14 days of the alleged speeding offence.
Edit - just checked and it does


