“Is This Running An Amber Light?”

This morning on my way to work and I had this guy riding my a**. I was doing the speed limit (50km) cause it was 7:20 am and I was a bit tired. I normally don't go more than 55 km in a 50 zone anyways. The guy was probably no more than 6 feet from my rear. I approached an intersection and the light went amber, normally I would have stopped cause I was a bit before the 'point of no return' or whatever you wanna call it, but I kept going cause I didn't think it was safe because I figured for how close he was, if I had of stopped he might have rear ended me. I crossed the line when it was still amber, but just as I was almost out of the intersection it went red. The intersection was bigger than most are in my town. I don't know, was what I did legal or is it still classified as failing to stop for an amber light? I didn't speed up or anything, I kept going at the same speed.

By the letter of the law... no, you did not fail to stop for an amber.

Section 144 (15) of the Highway Traffic Act:

(15) Every driver approaching a traffic control signal showing a circular amber indication and facing the indication shall stop his or her vehicle if he or she can do so safely, otherwise he or she may proceed with caution.

It does not define was constitutes "safely." Some may argue that this refers to ability to stop the vehicle only, others say it factors in considerations such as having a tailgating moron behind you. If you did get stopped by police, you should write down the details of the vehicle following you, distance, make, model, and your observations, so you could testify in court that, due to the fact you were being tailgated dangerously, you felt there was a definite possibility that you would be a in a collision if you stopped. Therefore, you determined that it was not safe to stop, and you continued through. Obviously this argument wouldn't work if it was a red light. You could then also state that the Highway Traffic Act does not say what "can do so safely" means, so it implies any and all factors that would affect the safe stopping of a vehicle.

Or in one sentence: In my opinion, what you did was legal.

Ok thanks. And I didn't get stopped by a cop I was just wondering for future reference.

just solely based on what you said you were "prior to" what you consider the point of no return and offence of fail to stop for amber has been committed.

Just b/c someone is on your backdoor whether traffic lights, or forcing one to drive faster, i don't buy any of that. You are responsible for your vehicle at all times, just as the other drivers are.

what i consistently look for is brake lights coming on, or reduction in speed on anyone going thru an amber. No reduction or hearing an engine accelerate will get them stopped all the time.

Respectfully... I probably would've done what Omega Gin did in that situation. I would've taken my foot off the accelerator to "proceed in safety," but in some cases driving through the amber is literally a collision-avoidance manoeuvre (especially here).

The day you watch some one get rear ended and snap there neck in two over the top of a poorly adjusted head rest is the day you start rethinking about jamming on your brakes at an amber with a car closing fast.How many people check there headrest before driving the away,I do.

matt123 wrote:The day you watch some one get rear ended and snap there neck in two over the top of a poorly adjusted head rest is the day you start rethinking about jamming on your brakes at an amber with a car closing fast.How many people check there headrest before driving the away,I do.

LOL I think you've been watching too much Kill Bill

I would say "no". You didn't feel you could stop safely...AND you didn't truly have the time to stop properly. It was too late...so you proceeded through the intersection. Just as you were out of the intersection the light turned red. You did not run a red light. If this was at a red light camera intersection, the camera would not have photographed your vehic.e

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