Perhaps our young friend should just deal with the fact that the red light camera got him ~ seems story changed from 1st post to 2nd post ! Just my 2 cents - DEAL WITH IT and CARRY ON. Experience is the best teacher rather than moaning about something.

 

its a big joke with me and the mrs. every morning we drive thru one and when it changes to yellow we slow and stop. then we laugh about the young ones who complain about it. its not hard to stop.

 

This is a tough subject with many gray areas...

On one hand I think people who run red lights SHOULD be punished...

But on the other hand I have seen too many accidents where people slam on their brakes at the yellow and get catapulted across the intersection by the person behind them.

I don't have a problem with the cameras, I am just really alert around those intersections.

 

If stopping at a yellow light means risking someone rear ending me, then I suppose I'm at their mercy when I stop at the red light?

 

I personally know lots more people who were hit by a car running a red light than stopping too quick at a yellow. The yellow light signals "Caution" - and that means PAY ATTENTION! If I think I'm going to stop at a light I'll tap my brakes a couple times (if I can) to let the person behind me know I might stop.

Like I said before - I wish we had cameras in CT, but, I do agree that it sucks if a town uses the cameras improperly just to make a few bucks. Traffic fines should be used as a deterrent for reckless driving, but not as an intentional way to screw people.

 

[QUOTE=Irafatsar]The key here is TAILGATERS, I F******* hate them. I will slow down tap my brakes do whatever I need to get them off my a** (i edited it for you andrew). the other problem we have with drivers here is they dive in front of you whenever you leave a safe distance between you and the car in front of you. Thus making TAILGATING a necessity to keep people from cutting in front of you. I constantly have to "close the Door" or else people will jump in front of you and making you hit the brakes. Then everybody has to hit their brakes, next thing you know you have a traffic jam for no reason. Same thing with slow drivers in the passing lane, when people race up on the right to dive in front of them.

I actually had a guy race up along side me with his blinker on trying to get in front of me. He almost ran us off the road, until I honked then he backed off, slowed down and entered the lane I was in behind me. He then moved to the extreme right lane raced up alongside us and started mouthing off about how I should have let him in front of me a few moments ago. His tailgate never passed my drivers door yet he felt I should have slowed down and let him in front of me. It’s getting crazy out there.

end rant.

 

Could not have said it any better, here in Central Virginia they do the same thing...except without signaling. With that said, what would you expect when you take your "Road Test" in the back lot of the DMV. Most of the drivers here that I have encountered DO NOT KNOW HOW TO DRIVE and make there own rules as they go along.

 

Irafatsar said it best, its the tailgaters that are the problem. Most people accept that red means stop, but in California, yellow means speed up.

Also, it cracks me up that the worst tailgaters and speeders are the ones in the crappy cars or big trucks. I don't have a problem if a Porsche or Ferrari wants to tailgate, let them by, but when a huge truck tailgates with those horrible brakes and horrible handling, its dangerous.

 

Right. And you know if there's a Porsche or Ferrari behind you, they aren't going to rear-end you. Not so sure with the beaters back there!

 

CrossfireLTD, I know exactly what you mean about drivers tests in VA. Clearly, it's been a long time since I took my test there when I moved from NYC to No. VA, but my license test was literally a written test and 4 right turns around the building. Honestly, I didn't know how to drive at all. I lived in NYC, I never owned a car, had seriously limited seat time, and voila a nice VA license. Thinking back, it was pretty pathetic.

Intersection survival in DC area, if I can make a yellow, I go...no pussyfooting around. If I know I can't or think I can't make, I brake and roll up until it turns red. NEVER STOP ON YELLOW...otherwise you'll get rear ended sooner or later, guaranteed.