On the way back home from work, approaching intersection, doing about 40, I had the green light, this huge pick up truck with a snow plow blows the red light, doing about 70. I hit the brakes and hit gravel. The dam truck came with in two feet of hitting my car.  Thank God the gravel slowed me down enough. I would not have made it. For all you LEO's Ticket every single bastard who thinks its great to blow red lights...

People who ignore traffic signals need severe beatings!!!!!!!!![pissed]

I know some people who blow in the red light district.

I've noticed a definite increase in the number of people running left red lights.

I am not for photo enforcement but I have to say that red light runners should be enforced this way, it has gotten way out of hand. Now a person has to approch an intersection like you have a red light just to make sure someone isn't going to blow the red.

A beating by the people they almost killed.

Been there, done that, got the broken bone(s) to prove it.

This is definetly one of my pet peeves (along with people that turn left in front of motorcycles - some here will understand why)

Was in a small Subaru when a full sized Chevy Van blew the light - all I recall was seeing a big chevy emblem (on the grill) and the crash of breaking glass.  Next thing I know the car is stopped, facing a building (spun around 3/4 of the way, clipped another car as it spun)

My daughter sitting behind me got glass in her forehead (she won't sit on that side of the car since) and my wife, who was driving, out of the car, screaming for me to get out and help her with our daughter.

You're right, people that run red lights should be strung up by the thumbs, coated with honey, and hung in the Grizzly exibit at the zoo...

Saw one breeze through a red light a few weeks ago.  If I'd been ten seconds faster, I would have been toast.

I'm all for Public Floggings for dangerous drivers. But, photo enforcement doesn't take certain issues into effect:

1) Driver. Who was actually driving ?
2) Were the front wheels in the intersection when the light turned red. If so, you didn't run the light.
3) Was the person getting out of the way of an Emergency Vehicle.
4) Was the person about to be hit.
5) Did the person simply roll over the stop lines, but not go through the light.

And, alot of people know that certain chemical coatings make it hard for cameras to focus blurring the image. I hear hairspray should work fine.

If you truly run the light, then a flogging is in order. Some examples are Southgate & Rock Island, Sunrise & University, etc...where people blast through up to 30 seconds after the light is solid red.

They should also flog anybody who pulls in front of you on the interstate and slams on their brakes. How about the assholes who speed up to keep you from moving over.

And finally, any of the idiot that back up on I-95, back up on ramps, ride bicyles on I-95, or open their door on a 2-lane road right when you are coming up at them.

I had one guy throw open his driver's side door into traffic as I was coming up at 50 mph (Highway). Fortunately, there was nobody in the other lane or he would have had 1 less door. He jerked it shut as I swerved. What a moron.

I had one idiot rear end me. He was rushing to work. Guess what the first words out of his mouth were: "Oh great, Now I'm going to be even later." Then he asked if I was OK. I was fine.

The other time I had an accident, a guy screeched through the light and to avoid slamming into him broadside, I swerved striking a light pole. Did $8000 to my vehicle and the SOB didn't stay around to even find out if I was OK. I hurt for a while (Whiplash, etc...), But fortunately I was wearing my seatbelt so I wasn't hurt bad enough to be hospitalized. The car hit at an angle that took off the passanger side bending the rear passanger seat down. I was the only person in the vehicle so I didn't have to worry about other people in my car. Worse was the SOB has small kids in his car, which I saw and was one reason I swerved.

MF deserved one hell of a public Flogging for that. Also, anybody who'd risk his kids like that should not have kids.

Just this past Saturday:

Driving to a friend's house and took the street that goes right by the police station.  At the street/driveway that pulls into the police station there's a light.  The light goes red, I stop as does the car to my left and the car behind me.  The traffic coming the other way also comes to a stop.  There are no cars coming out of the police station but there is two pedestrians.  The lane on my right is empty.  

The cars wait as designed while the pedestrian crosses right in front of me.  About 3 seconds after the pedestrian makes it to the sidewalk, I see in my mirror a car coming up on my right side going about 40mph...the speed limit.  The light is still red, all the cars are stopped and the car blows right past me through the intersection, through the red light.  And though we were not even 50 yards from the police station, the guy kept on going...I wonder if he even saw the light.

If the pedestrians had been 10 seconds slower, they would have been creamed as my van would block any view that car would have had of them.

It can be a scary thing...it reminds me of people who didn't see me when I rode a motorcycle.

But I'm not out there trying to ban cell phones...

some people just need to be shot for the greater good of society. those who behave like this in a deadly weapon (read car)are good examples.

What a bunch of BS. Front wheels in the intersection when the light turns red? WTF? I can speed up when the light is yellow so I can get me car into the intersection? You think it's OK to run a red then?

Do you know what a yellow means? It means SLOW DOWN. Not rush to get your front wheels into the intersection.

And #4 irks me too. You are supposed to stop  at the stop lines. Not roll over them. Have you ever seen the dumbasses that pull almost halfway into the intersection just to get a jump on the light? They are usually hit when a car in oncoming traffic is trying to get their wheels into the intersection before the red.

Av.

No Av. YOU are wrong.  In Illinois, if you are already in the intersection when the light turns red you are fine.  If you roll across the line after the light goes red, you broke the law.  Running a red does not take place unless a person ENTERS an intersection WHILE the light is red.
This is an important consideration, especially during gridlock.  Cars already in the intersection are allowed to proceed, but no more cars are allowed to enter.
This also helps prevent accidents by people who lay into their brakes when approaching a green changing to yellow.  The majority of accidents occur by rearending, and forcing quick stops contributes to this.
If the light in front of you goes yellow, keep going if you are close enough, or are going fast enough.  In other words, time decide to stop if the light will turn red on you.
Squealing tires, and fast stops are dangerous too, and could be considered reckless driving if a cop saw it.  You would be better off driving through the yellow.
Think when you drive.  Other people can't always predict what you are going to do.  It is thier fault if they hit you, but it is your problem.

You are also wrong about #5 (or #4 as you call it).
Most people who casually roll across the line don't do it very far, or for nefarious reasons.  There is usually plenty of room between the line and the actual intersection.  Sure, some people are dumb, but they usually get a good honking at, and deserve it.

Ditto here.  I was in the pole position waiting for a light to turn green on a 45 MPH posted max intersection with at least 1/2 mile of visible light to the faster moving traffic.  Sure enough, a bobtailed semi saw the yellow, blew his horn so I let him through the now red and make DAMN sure the intersection is safe before proceeding.

You may be right in the eyes of the law but the laws of physics trump the laws of the state and ignoring the laws of nature can make one DEAD right.

I do it every chance I get.

Can you charge these people with attempted murder or anything? Technically they are using a 2 ton bullet to run down other motorists. What happens to these careless/reckless drivers after the fact?

No, just like most other situations where there is no intent, if there is no body, there is no homocide.
There are certain situations, where one could be charged with reckless endangerment with a motor vehicle, but that is not appropriate in the majority of red light running.  The burden of proof is higher than a simple citation for running a red light.  

Speeding deserves a ticket, but not an attempted murder charge.  Rolling through stop signs deserves a ticket, but no criminal charges.  Let's try to keep a little sanity here.

thats the biggest problem, sc doesnt have them for numerous reasons(thank god.. ;) run a red light at 3am on a open road noone around.. cosp still wanna ticket you.. got off it thou.. foggy as hell. 20MPH in a 40).



the other lanes lights remain red for a few seconds. after that i think the cam-systems start snapping pics. anyhow Sc says (like i saw in a later post about Ill) if your in the intersection when it turns red your safe. enter it after and your breaking the law. yellow means slow down and stop if you can (damn tailgater at 3ft and fast light) else go through. dangerous? only if some shmuck runs the red light from the cross street.



mabey but the camera will obidently snap a pic of the E-Vechical running the light to. thereby absolving you of the crime.



hope not but if so good luck with the JBT



if he rolled over the line he wouldnt have gone far enought to be int he cameras sight.

I'm glad my state doesn't have the cameras.  My wife was driving with three friends in Charlotte, NC, and was ticketed for running a red light.  Her crime?  Following the direction of a cop.  There was an accident in the intersection, and the officer was motioning people through the intersection.  What are you supposed to do in that situation?  If you don't follow the officer's orders, you are breaking the law.  If you do, you get a ticket from the automated system.  Sounds like a great revenue system, because you get to bill either way.  In NC (at that time, it might be different now), there wasn't a method of protesting the ticket in place.  If you admitted to being the person driving the car, then you were guilty.  She had to pay the fine.

Let's get to the real problem, the officers not enforcing the law.  I drive many miles a week for work in Spartanburg, Greenville, and Columbia, SC.  I often see people drive through red lights.  Usually, it's someone not stopping at a red light before turning right.  In Spartanburg, you can't drive more than a couple of blocks without seeing a police car, and often I see officers witness red light runners.  I have yet (in 59 years of driving here) seen a cop here stop someone for running a redlight.  It's riduculous that they'll spend the officer's time setting-up speed traps and illegal random searches (license checks) around town, but they ignore red light runners.  What's more dangerous, someone driving 3 MPH over in a school zone, someone with an illegible signature on their registration (as I was ticketed for last summer, duh, that's what my signature really looks like), or someone who runs a red light?  In my opinion, the red light runner is the bigger problem.  We need more good officers like Waverunner.  He said, "I do it every chance I get."  That's what I want to see the officers around here do.z

Big problem and getting worse here in Tulsa Oklahoma. Other than having to wait for a full 2 minutes for the light to change at some busy intersections the lights are not timed thru town. "Blue hairs", those that have failed vision,faded reflexes,stone deaf,stiff joints or fused necks,and Starship Enterprise sized vehicles with the L.H. turn signal that is always on([shock]but thank God I can still drive citizens[shock]) are a huge problem and bigger frustration. Lets not forget the all important cell phone users and the "look at me I got my drivers license and can drive fast" teenagers . LEO apparently (obviously)not concerned about it so just be careful while you risk you life out there. I always cross myself and say a Hail Mary before leaving my driveway!

well, by arizona (well, phoenix anyway)law (as i understand it) you'd be wrong too.  so there.  all 4 wheels have to be past the very last white line to be considered in the intersection.

phoenix seems to have a huge problem with red-light running.  they've even got specieal "No Red Light Running Enforcement" intersections, complete with photo enforcement.  why the people of phoenix cant' drive is beyond me, but it's not just the red light running.  they can't merge when another car is coming onto the highway.  they don't understand that the left-most lane is for the faster vehicles.  they can't anticipate for shit.  i really miss the midwest.

fwiw, i drive a 4wd suburban, no lightweight on the road.  if the light's green and i'm traveling at the speed limit, there is a particular point on the road where i'm toast either way if the light turns yellow when i'm at that point.  because it's too short of a distance for me to stop the damn big vehicle i have, and it's too long of a distance for me to accelerate through the light (damn big vehicle takes longer to get moving than a lighter one, even with the big v8).  

ARlady, my wife gets all upset when I stop too quickly, so I know exactly what you mean.  
A 45 mph road approaching a intersection might have a 4 second delay for a yellow light.
If I slam the brakes, I will lose all the forward momentum that I like to conserve for city driving, make my wife mad, and scatter stuff all around the car.
If I keep going at the same speed I will most certainly run the red light, so I usually speed up a little if I am in that position.
Almost all intersections have a short delay where all lights are red.  These delays allow a margin of safety, and should be extended when the speed limit on a road is 45 or more.  45 is pretty fast to stop suddenly for a light.

If only all lights were timed properly...

Yellow light means clear the intersection. Not slow down. Thats what they taught me in drivers ed about 10 years ago.

Strongly agree in these areas.  I drive tractor trailer and just because a camera takes a picture of a vehicle in the intersection does not mean they ran the light.  I can start through a freshly turned green light and the light can be turned red before I am through the intersection.  Some light cycles are too short in some areas for this type of traffic.  Should I be flogged because I ran a green light but could not make it through before it turned red?  Don't get me wrong people do run red lights and should be hung for it, but as the point was made that cameras can't take everything into consideration.

In Greensboro NC the addition of the cameras have greatly decreased blatant red light running.  The Police department has reported a 20% decrease in collisions at the intersections with cameras.  I accept the risk of a 50-dollar fine over being killed any day.

must be red light day, i had an asshole tailgate me for about 10 miles this morning (I had 2 cars ahead of me) Well we get to a red light and the car in front of me and I both stop, but asshole decides to floor it , pass both of us on the right shoulder and blow right through the light , yes there were cars in the intersection by then. !!!

Phoenix is bad too.

Yeah, the one I posted above was in Gilbert, but I see it more often in Phoenix like around 32nd St and Thomas.

Mitch, you're listening to propaganda.  I've been doing research on the red light cameras, I've posted stuff on here about them many times.

The 20% decrease is hogwash, pure, unadulterated hogwash.  No scientific study has ever been done that adequately attests to the effectiveness of red light cameras.  

Here's why more people are running red lights:
1)  There are more red lights than ever before
2)  There are more drivers than ever before
3)  Many towns and cities lowered their speed limits to ridiculously low levels and then set up their yellow light times very short according to the speed limits.  Trouble is [b]no one is actually driving those speeds[/b]

So in general, it may not be a conspiracy, but I do know of some cases where the yellow light times were decreased expressly to cause more red light runs and thus a justification for installing those cameras that robotically ticket "offenders."  It's all about revenue in Greensboro and everywhere else and I guarantee you are no safer with the cameras than you were without them.  Like all such safety campaigns (as well as airport security) you are only paying for a false sense of security.  Meanwhile, you are actually more at risk of being fleeced by corrupt municipalities.  The real tragedy is that the majority of people actually support this crime!  They don't get it.

Remember: The cameras don't work in intersections with stop signs.

If you want to be safer, drive more defensively.  Treat every single intersection like someone is going to blow through it.  Plan ahead--what will you do when it happens?  Look for an out.  Years of riding motorcycles has given me a sixth sense for avoiding collisions.  The challenge is to make people better drivers, not harass them and steal money from them and deny them due process (you cannot face a robot accusing you of a crime in court).

Supporting red light cameras is supporting the corruption of the rule of law.  Don't do it!

Those of you in favor of red light cameras should pick up this months issue of Car&Driver.  There is an excellent article on red light cams and how they are in use only for the money.  The system is run completely by private companies and they are guaranteed a certain amount of income by the municipality.  It has been documented that when the revenues were not as high as had been expected the city shortened the length of the yellow light and moved the sensor futher away from the intersection.  Remember this, these things are not in place to save lives.  They are there to generate revenue, nothing else.  In fact, when asked, the NHTSA could not give any statics related to crashes due to red light runners because they do not keep them.  There is a lot more in the article so I will let you guys read it for yourselves.

First time I ever agreed with Trickshot...

Uh-oh

Notice that when they add a redlight camera, the yellow lights get VERY short within the next few days.  In DC (IIRC, might be a different city), the company that installed the cameras gets a cut of every ticket, and they get to screw with the yellow light timing so its very short and they get more cash.

Kharn