Red Light Runners in Dallas

[Ulysses]

It's not just in Dallas. Here in San Diego, ever since the red light cameras were turned off, they run'em as they please. Even after you have already started crossing the intersection. Makes for an interesting and frustrating morning and evening commute.

 

[GTS Dean]

The signal controller timing program is just as suspect as the people allegedly cruising the red lights. Some cities are purposely shortening the yellow cycle. This makes it more likely that someone will enter on yellow and clear on red. More tickets and more wrecks are the result.

How many people do you know that run reds with any degree of regularity? I may truly run a red once or twice a year.

Is it truly a behavioral issue, is it "the system?" Or, is it that there are just that many more drivers and that many more red lights on basically the same number of road miles that makes the likelihood of seeing anybody's 1 or 2 per year that much more likely?

 

[Makara]

I think that it is a little of both. I understand that on very rare occasions you can accidentally run through a red light just as it is goes from yellow to red but I see people running lights 10 or 15 seconds after my light is green meaning that their light has been red for 12-17 seconds. It is just stupid inconsiderate people if you ask me. They are all around us.

Have you ever been at a stop light and the car infront or next to you leaves 3 car lengths between their car and the stop bar? Then they inch up a foot at a time until they are in the intersection. I'm not kidding. I have seen people inch their way into an intersection and hold up crossing traffic.

I was driving my jeep one day when the light turned red. I stopped my jeep and waited at the light. About 5 seconds later I felt a huge jolt. Some idiot had run into me. Well actually more like ran under me. My car didn't have a scratch but his car was totaled. I asked him what he was thinking, running a car into a stationary object. He said that he thought I was going to run the red light, then he was going to follow me. Then he apparently quit paying attention long enough for me to stop my jeep.

Don't even get me started on people who don't understand that you are only allowed to clear an intersection when the light turns red... the red light is not a left green arrow.

 

[Gerald]

It's bad everywhere, specially when your more "out" of a city. MOre open roads, but yet stop lights are still frequent. They have plent of velocity to plow thru an intersection....

My solution.. Get the city to hire a sniper to camp out on top of a telephone pole and pick off the really obvious red light runners. One less idiot for the cost of a bullet ($2.00?)..Problem solved vs. killing a family and driving insurance, etc up.. I'm running for pres. is 2004

Gerald

 

[Tomer]

Here in Northern California its pretty bad. Specifically San Ramon. So bad that the city posted the sign indicating its a $281 dollar fine for running the red. No cameras that I am aware of...

Like most folks occassionally I am in a big hurry and as I approach the intersection and am very close to the line, if I see the yellow I go on thru...No matter how much of a hurry I think I am in, I won't take this practice too far...

What kills me is say when my green arrow comes on for left turn, and I look and there is a car ENTERING the intersection to my right...This drives me nuts...My only outlet is to say out loud, "What colour of Red do you stop for dude??" Gives me just a small amount of satisfaction...Most importantly, double check for those Red Light Runners!

Tomer

 

[silverviper]

I had the same experience: driving my Ram and stopped at a red light in downtown San Francisco. A few seconds later, wham. Get out of truck to find a civic with his hood punched in by my trailer hitch. Asked him how he managed to hit me after stopping and he says, "sorry, I was tuning the radio and just kind of flaked." Ok, dude. No damage to my truck, it was a pretty slow hit, but a good reminder for his hood. Don't flake.