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Why do Americans jump red lights???

Yep, lots of bad, inconsiderate, discourteous drivers on American roads. I love driving...but I hate it at the same time. I love the feel of being behind the wheel, love the speed, love the sounds..but I hate sharing the road with idiot drivers! I am constantly on the look out for the next idiot too busy chatting on their cell phone to stop at the red light or stop sign.

About the absence of traffic cameras in America...beyond the Constitutional aspect of it...there is one big factor preventing them from becoming widely used. Guns. Unlike the UK and a lot of other places, Americans are allowed to own firearms...and in many states carry them about (with proper permits and such...which I think is just asinine requiring law abiding citizens to have permits to carry firearms when the criminals don't have permits to do so). If traffic cameras were to be put up in the US, they would most likely get shot. This country is riddled with Stop signs and speed limit signs that have been shot with rifles, shot guns, pistols, muzzle loaders. Traffic cameras would be not different...just another target for us gun loving Americans.

OBIO
 
OBIO said:
About the absence of traffic cameras in America...beyond the Constitutional aspect of it...there is one big factor preventing them from becoming widely used. Guns. Unlike the UK and a lot of other places, Americans are allowed to own firearms...and in many states carry them about (with proper permits and such...which I think is just asinine requiring law abiding citizens to have permits to carry firearms when the criminals don't have permits to do so). If traffic cameras were to be put up in the US, they would most likely get shot. This country is riddled with Stop signs and speed limit signs that have been shot with rifles, shot guns, pistols, muzzle loaders. Traffic cameras would be not different...just another target for us gun loving Americans.
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maybe that could be used as an advantage ... instead of rival gangs shooting each other, they could do a time trial ... who cant knock off the most traffic cameras in 30 mins :monkies:
 
stiz said:
but not in america .. where you can still turn right .. which is just plain confuseing!
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You can turn right, after you stop completely.

One of my sons learned that the hard way after a red light camera videoed him turning without stopping.
 
Reply...

OBIO said:
Yep, lots of bad, inconsiderate, discourteous drivers on American roads. I love driving...but I hate it at the same time. I love the feel of being behind the wheel, love the speed, love the sounds..but I hate sharing the road with idiot drivers! I am constantly on the look out for the next idiot too busy chatting on their cell phone to stop at the red light or stop sign.

About the absence of traffic cameras in America...beyond the Constitutional aspect of it...there is one big factor preventing them from becoming widely used. Guns. Unlike the UK and a lot of other places, Americans are allowed to own firearms...and in many states carry them about (with proper permits and such...which I think is just asinine requiring law abiding citizens to have permits to carry firearms when the criminals don't have permits to do so). If traffic cameras were to be put up in the US, they would most likely get shot. This country is riddled with Stop signs and speed limit signs that have been shot with rifles, shot guns, pistols, muzzle loaders. Traffic cameras would be not different...just another target for us gun loving Americans.

OBIO
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Obio,

Live in the Boston area. They don't call us Massholes for nothing! :d
 
lololol....


I was going to say, we dont 'jump' red lights, we run them.. I try to never run them though. I have matured in my driving, not like I used to be.. eeks..

Oddly, I went through a light today earlier, sister in the car with her sick puppy, coming back from the vet. All is going well, in a cluster of cars, and suddenly the light turns yellow. No time to hit the brakes, big pickup waiting to turn left on oncoming side, car beside me is going through it. I would have slid through if I did hit the brakes, then would have had to keep going. Sometimes it seems like its just too close and you 'appear' to run the light. And nope, not speeding.
 
It is an International pastime, nothing more, nothing less.
Americans are far from alone in this 'sport'!
However, in my home state, the (supposed) 'Curse of the Red Light Camera' has curbed the enthusiasm of most, getting hit with several hefty fines (average A$250.00+) and the loss of points from ones drivers licence has made big inroads on the offenders.
And of course, the three times busted and you lose your car (for good!) law is hurting the 'Hoons' who regard public streets as drag strips ....... watching a GT Falcon or a GTS Monaro being compacted in a crusher has a great effect!
:ernae:
 
Right Turn On Red

In Ohio as in many States , right turn on red is legal(Unless otherwise posted) , --only-- and I do mean--only-- after coming to a complete stop . They have and do write citations on just turning right on red whether just slowing down or even rolling through . Sorry if this has been mentioned above and I didn't notice . I see this violated on a daily basis where I live .

I don't know where the States rank in the worlds worst drivers but they have to rank close to the top .

Just my 2 cents worth . LOL

Rich
 
You people that live in Tampa will know what I'm saying. My introduction to Tampa was on a Friday afternoon at about 4:30 at the intersection of Malfunction Junction and I 275 during a thunderstorm. I have never been a worst situation in my life nor do I want to again.
 
Well I was nearly Killed because of a girl running a red light..Lost My scooter bike(Harley)
and now are fighting tooth and nail with two insurance companies..

I have never ran a red light.. On purpose...

I must ask our Lord to protect those that may be endangered
By such a stupid act..And have mercy on those who don't have the common sense to realize the danger they are placing themself's and others in..
 
Live in the Boston area. They don't call us Massholes for nothing!
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Living in Vermont, I'd agree with you LOL

My local State police Barracks has acquired a nice, silver unmarked Dodge Charger for interstate speed enforcement.

99% of the usual marked and unmarked VT State police cars are either Ford Crown Victorias or Chevy Impalas. People just don't look for the Chargers. Every time I've seen the "Silver bullet" on a traffic stop, the car stopped was a high end BMW/Mercedes/Audi with either Massachusetts or Connecticut plates :jump:
 
Tako_Kichi said:
Hmmm...dunno about that Lefty! Turning right on a red light in the UK could lead to some major pile-ups! :icon_lol:
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See, I told you I didn't drive :icon_lol:

It's true I don't remember hearing a car horn since I've been here and from my seat on the bus it would seem that drivers are generally polite and respectful. Ironically cars always stop to let me cross on the back roads even if they arrive at the junction way before I do. But at the major junctions I do need to keep my wits about me and just presume I am invisible.

I have seen an awful lot of drivers talking on the phone, texting, eating and drinking coffee and generally not paying attention and I'm surprised I haven't seen more accidents. That's something cameras would pick up on and penalise. To be honest I think it's a more attractive source of revenue than direct taxation and from what I can see and hear around me the state is going to have to do something to raise some cash! Some London boroughs raise literally millions that way. I've been coming to this part of Arizona for about ten years and have never seen so many vacant lots and closed shops and businesses. Some parts of Scottsdale are like a ghost town now although at least some of those dreadful cowboy art galleries have gone :icon_lol:

Cirrus N210MS said:
where in airzona are you visiting?
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I've been in Scottsdale for a couple of weeks and am going down to Tucson for a while on the weekend. To be honest it's cheaper here than being at home - it always has been which is part of the reason I come here. It's much cheaper to come here for three weeks than it would be to go to mainland Europe!
 
I don't know about other states or cities but I know in Chicago you can turn left on red after coming to a stop and only if it is a one-way street you are turning on. Chicago also has a lot of red light cameras. They make so much money from having them that they want to add more. It is an easy $100 for them and are rarely contested. A lot of the surrounding suburbs have picked up on this little cash cow and are installing their own red light cameras. You have to be careful with those right turns on red when a camera is present. The cameras don't care if you came to a stop first or not and take a picture of your car and you get fined for making a legal right turn on red. Sure you can go to court and contest it but then you lose a days pay versus the $100 fine.
 
one of the worse things i hate is yellow lights as they can change to red
half way over the intersection
thats a good way to get creamed
there is one in particular i drive every morning
i know its going to change as soon as i get there
so i slow down then i get cars behind me getting mad
ya cant win
H
 
Henry said:
one of the worse things i hate is yellow lights as they can change to red
half way over the intersection
thats a good way to get creamed
there is one in particular i drive every morning
i know its going to change as soon as i get there
so i slow down then i get cars behind me getting mad
ya cant win
H
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Most lights (here) have a second or two delay from when one direction goes red until other direction turns green to prevent that. And yellow lights are 5 or more seconds long, to allow time to react so you aren't still blitzing through the intersection 7 seconds after the yellow comes on and the other light turns green.

The problem is when people end up stopping at green lights because they "know" its going to change. Well, sooner or later its going to change, but not yet!

Brian
 
I lived in San Diego and St. Louis, and what I noticed on freeways in both cities is that drivers in SD are all driving at the same speed (fast), more or less, but in STL, there is a huge disparity between the slowest cars and the fastest cars. There are slow pokes in the fast lane, and a high percentage of people who evidently thing I-70 is their own personal NASCAR test track. In SD, with everyone going the same speed, the relative speeds between the cars is low. In STL, it's high. Guess where I've seen more crashes? Also, in STL, stop signs and stop lights are evidently suggestions rather than laws.

I've also been in traffic in Manila and Bangkok, as a passenger, and all I have to say about those cities is I'm glad I don't have to drive there. That's chaos, simply amazing!
 
I lived in Japan for six months. I learned quickly that when the lights would change from red to green, you waited until you counted 5 or 6 cars continuing through the intersection before even moving an inch. I don't know if it was officially legal or not, but it seemed that everyone there expects this to happen.

NC
 
Navy Chief said:
I lived in Japan for six months. I learned quickly that when the lights would change from red to green, you waited until you counted 5 or 6 cars continuing through the intersection before even moving an inch. I don't know if it was officially legal or not, but it seemed that everyone there expects this to happen.

NC
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I was also in Japan for 6 months (in the mid 60's) Chief and the one thing that scared the hell out of me was riding in a taxi cab . They would race across RR tracks to beat trains , run red lights , race in between buildings in alleys . The only speed they knew was fast !:isadizzy:

Rich
 
One of the few neat things we here in West Germany adopted from our brothers of the formar GDR after the reunification was that green arrow that allows to cross a red light to turn right.
If there's no green arrow sign beside the traffic light you're not allowed to right-turn on red light.
gruener-pfeil-09916.jpg
 
I kind of like that Mathias.

The problem with right on red in the states is that's it's sort of an assumption. There are plenty of intersections where this is prohibited, and it's usually indicated by a sign, which everyone misses.

My personal observation on these intersections is that when it is restricted it is for a very, very good safety reason, and to ignore the restriction is to do so at yours, or someone else's peril. Unfortunately, folks miss the signs because of the assumption.
 
The one thing that truly annoys me are the cops who seem to believe that traffic laws don't apply to them.

If they are responding "Code 2" on official business, it's only to be expected that they have every right to do so, but when they are just "crusing around" they must obey the law, just as anyone else!
 
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