Leave Me the Eff Alone at Red Lights!

[LillFilly]

Grrr....

Lately leaving work, I have to take all rights to get onto the highway to go home. Whenever I hit the light first and it's red, I (legally!) come to a complete stop and wait for traffic to clear or make sure it's clear before I go. Yet, for the past week, I've had a dumb*ass screech to a stop on my bumper and honk like heck because I, GASP, did NOT just go through the light! I don't know if they are aware of just how heavily that road is patrolled by police, but I hope they find out soon! For now, I've just been giving them the finger, because I'm fed-up.

[EvilEmpryss]

You could always call the non-emergency highway patrol/local police line (depending on the type of road you're on) and let them know that you've been encountering this problem every day at such-and-such a time. You might find they stick a cop out there to rack up a few more tickets for reckless driving and running red lights.

[PepperElf]

Sometimes I honk back at asshats like that

[Geek King]

If someone honks at me for not turning fast enough on red, I often find that its just not safe for me to make the turn on red, and wait for the light to change.

[EvilEmpryss]

If someone honks at me for not turning fast enough on red, I often find that its just not safe for me to make the turn on red, and wait for the light to change.

Sweet. I have a road near my home that I regularly drive 8-9 miles over the speed limit on because I know the cops won't bother with anything less than 10+ over. The other day I was just getting up to speed when some jerk decided to ride my bumper.

Suddenly it was very important for me to do exactly the speed limit the entire stretch of the double-yellow.

If he had just gotten off my ass, I would have sped up, but so long as he's going to be a jerk, I have no reason to facilitate his travel.

[Mikkel]

If he had just gotten off my ass, I would have sped up, but so long as he's going to be a jerk, I have no reason to facilitate his travel.

Isn't that the right thing to do? You are supposed to keep a safe distance relative to the speed. The guy behind you can control the distance but if he drive to close for safety, you control the speed . Sooner or later the speed will be so low that the distance is safe...

[fma_fanatic]

I usually wait until the light turns green when I have idiots behind me like that. Seriously, if you want to get into an accident, that's fine with me. Do it on your own time.

[LillFilly]

Hee. Hee. Hee. I like the idea of contacting the police about it. Oh, the road is 25mph and there's a problem with speeding too. Hmmmm...

[ADoyle90815]

I usually wait until the light turns green when I have idiots behind me like that. Seriously, if you want to get into an accident, that's fine with me. Do it on your own time.

That's what I do, since at those intersections, people are able to make a legal U turn, and there have been times when the person turning right on the red light was hit by the person making the U turn. I would rather not get into an accident, but if the idiot behind me wants to, they're free to do so on their own time.

[Pagan]

What irks me at getting honked at like that is that a good portion of the time, they can't see what I can coming down the road. Look, bub, you drive you're car your way, I'll drive mine my way.

If someone honks at me for not turning fast enough on red, I often find that its just not safe for me to make the turn on red, and wait for the light to change.

Exactly. It's you may turn right on a red light, not have to.

I've gotten, when sitting in the curb lane that does go straight, honked at to turn. The lack of turn signal means nothing. Most of the people around here seem to think that stick on the left side of the steering column is for decoration.

My grandfather always threatened that when people behind him would honk, to get out, go back and say, "Yeah, what'd you want?"

[DiRF]

I've honestly had that happen to me when stopped at a red LEFT turn lane...

Oh, sure, the straight-ahead is green, and, yes, there is NO traffic coming the other way, but it's still totally 100% illegal.

Years ago I had a tiny Mitsubishi coupe... and would cram all 6-feet, heavy-build, broad-shouldered of me in it... once when driving with the windows down, I had a jacked-up Dually pickup honk at me... I managed to squirm up in my seatbelt, stick almost my entire torso out the window and yelled back, "IT'S ****ING RED!" to the, let's say, not terribly statuesque gentleman behind the gargantuan dashboard... he didn't honk at me again.

...as a side-note, I *did* once turn left on a red-left-arrow/green-straight-ahead situation before... by complete accident. Light turned green, and I was the only car on the road (running errands at 3am), so I went (without thinking)... I found out that I *wasn't* the only car on the road. I happened to be sharing that slab of asphalt with a black and white Chevy Impala... who immediately zipped a U-turn. Whoops. He was very professional and efficient with me... he said he was merely looking for drunks, which I obviously wasn't, and since my license/registration/insurance all checked out, he sent me on my way with a polite verbal warning.

[sms001]

...as a side-note, I *did* once turn left on a red-left-arrow/green-straight-ahead situation before... by complete accident.

I've done the exact same thing, similar circumstances, but thankfully no officer. I was already kicking myself (and thanking my lucky stars) halfway through the intersection. afaik, the only red I've ever run.

[Food Lady]

If someone honks at me for not turning fast enough on red, I often find that its just not safe for me to make the turn on red, and wait for the light to change.

Aaaannd this is why you're one of my favorites....

[Caractacus_Potts]

Isn't that the right thing to do? You are supposed to keep a safe distance relative to the speed. The guy behind you can control the distance but if he drive to close for safety, you control the speed . Sooner or later the speed will be so low that the distance is safe...

That's exactly what I do. I can't stop someone from riding my bumper but I can make sure that we are going slow enough that they have a good chance of stopping before they hit me if I have to stop suddenly.

[Caractacus_Potts]

I *did* once turn left on a red-left-arrow/green-straight-ahead situation before... by complete accident.

There is one intersection near me where, for whatever reason, I see people doing this a few times a year. Once I was second in line and the person in front of me to the left on red left arrow when the main light turns green. He almost got creamed by a car coming in the other direction.

I hadn't budged an inch, left the empty car space in front of me. Ten seconds later the guy behind me is honking his horn and throwing his hands up in the air.

I just started laughing at him. Yeah Buddy, let me drive through a red light into on coming traffic for you because the guy in front of me did it!