TheInsanity1234 wrote:akirk wrote:JohnP wrote:Being monitored by a black box for harsh braking will put people off braking hard to avoid going over traffic lights just changed to red. The box will see the braking but not going through the red light.
I think the answer to that would be that you shouldn't need to brake in a harsh manner for lights - doesn't it suggest a lack of observation and forward planning?
Alasdair
Mostly, I suspect it will be a case of simply not paying attention to the lights until it's too late.
However, one scenario, I actually went through a red light but it was simply due to me being so shocked by the lights that I didn't think about pressing the brake pedal until it was far too late, at which point I just had to floor it and nip through.
The red lights in question were on a level crossing in Porthmadog, where there is a railway crossing. Now, I've regularly been to Porthmadog for 3 times a year, for the last 5 or 6 years, and I've never seen these level crossings in operation.
But I was approaching the level crossing, when the amber lights came on, and I was quite shocked that the railway was still in operation that I totally forgot I was meant to be braking, and then the red flashing lights came on, and this woke me up, and I realised it was far too late to stop, so I just floored it and got through with plenty of time to spare it turned out.
Which only goes to prove the old driving adage 'Drive each road as if it were the first time'....and be particularly careful on roads you used to know!