Don't race yellow lights please

geckoGT · 03-02-2010, 12:22 AM

I am not posting this to discuss the legallities of racing yellows, when it is safe to run a red etc. There have been enough threads on this and they always end in closure and that will not help with the message.

I am posting this to put this incident in your mind when you are considering if it is safe to proceed against a yellow or not, this can be the result.

Quote:

Serious crash, Runcorn: Officers from the Forensic Crash Unit are investigating a serious crash which occurred on Beenleigh Road at Runcorn about 6.05 last night. From initial inquiries it appears a white Subaru Forrester travelling south on Beenleigh Road has driven through the intersection of Nathan Terrace against a red light and collided with a Magna station wagon. The Subaru has then rolled before colliding with a woman who was on the pedestrian crossing. The 22-year-old pedestrian was transported to the Princess Alexandra Hospital with critical injuries. The 24-year-old female driver of the Subaru and the 53-year-old female driver of the Magna were both taken to QEII Hospital with serious injuries

This is the QLD Police media release regarding an accident that I attended yesterday. My partner and I were the initial Paramedic crew on scene and I had to deal with the pedestrian that was in the wrong place at the wrong time and is now in a critical condition. Her life has been seriously messed up by someone else's bad choice.

Please do not allow your bad choice to have this effect on someone else, stay safe.

LTDHO · 03-02-2010, 08:52 AM

It's illegal because it is dangerous. Your quote shows this.

Whilst I don't do it, apparently it get's you to your destination 2 minutes earlier or dead.

DBourne · 03-02-2010, 09:01 AM

Sorry to hear Gecko.

geckoGT · 03-02-2010, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SgtBourne

Sorry to hear Gecko.

Thanks, but sorry for me, although appreciated is not really required. In all reality it is just another day in the office and I am glad that we had great success in a well managed extrication and management. Due to good availability of some excellent people (namely one of the best Intensive Care Paramedics in the business and our Medical Director), we were able to deliver care that really was gold standard.

It is the young 21 year old with her whole life ahead of her that I feel sorry for. Although she is likely to recover from her injuries, there is a high likelihood that she will be left with permanent disabilities, something the driver responsible will not have to suffer. My heart and best wishes go out to her and her family.

Also my best wishes to the other driver who also sustained some injuries although these were minor (despite what the press release says).

The driver of the vehicle at fault was actually uninjured and walking around, just taken to hospital for a check due to the mechanism of the crash. Always the way, the one at fault gets off the lightest.

Swordsman88 · 03-02-2010, 10:22 AM

Understand where you are coming from gecko but this was a 'running of a red'.....big difference. I'm not saying people should run yellows i'm just saying that there is no point hitting the picks when 2 metres from the line and losing control of you car when it goes yellow....but i know this is not what you were saying.

When i first got my license i was super super careful of yellows (probably stopped a bit hard at a few i should of gone through) then i got a bit more slack. Not running reds or anything just opting to 'roll through' those ones that were line ball. Lately i've gone back to the 'if i can stop safely i will' mantra...its a judgement you have to make in the end and a spot on the road (a distance marker if you will) i find is a good standard. If it goes yellow before you're 'safe to stop' marker then STOP. This makes sure you are consistently avoiding a dreaded red light run.

I have very little respect for peopel that run reds. I realise it can be a 'negligence' issue (though in that case you need to be paying more attention) but there are cases (one i was at recently) where it was just a premeditated drive through.....i hate to think what would have happened had a car been coming that day.....

csv8 · 03-02-2010, 10:24 AM

Not to make light of this..but Captain Bligh is introducing Red light /Speed cameras this year. HOW will they stop these kinds of accidents ?????????
Captain Bligh reckons they will stop these kinds of accidents !!!!!!!!!!

BOSHOG · 03-02-2010, 10:27 AM

its only a fraction of a second between "racing the yellow" and "running the red"

you should not speed up for a yellow/amber light, it simply means if it is safe to stop then stop, otherwise proceed as normal

most people have no idea how to drive, and this is a prime example

aussie muscle · 03-02-2010, 10:32 AM

reminds me of the Simpson's episode where they made all the lights yellow instead of green to speed up traffic flow.

geckoGT · 03-02-2010, 10:35 AM

Initial press release states it was "running a red", witness reports on scene suggest that the light had only just turned red moment before the incident, suggesting she may have been running a yellow. It is too early to tell, the forensic crash guys have not finished with the investigation. Can we please leave this discussion out, it has been done to death.

My purpose was purely to give everyone here something to think about when they are potentially facing this situation, maybe help them err on the side of caution. I will be asking for this thread to be closed if this discussion continues as it is not my intent.

By the way, police are asking for any witnesses to come forward and call crime stoppers. If you or someone you know witnessed this accident, please come forward and make contact with police. The incident occurred at around 6pm on Monday the 1st Feb at the intersection of Nathan Terrace and Beenleigh Rd, Runcorn.

Chopped · 03-02-2010, 01:15 PM

Terrible news.

Also worth mentioning that a green light does not mean take off as fast as you can (always,always check for red light runners before taking off)

geckoGT · 03-02-2010, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chopped

Terrible news.

Also worth mentioning that a green light does not mean take off as fast as you can (always,always check for red light runners before taking off)

Exactly, green means proceed when it is safe to do so. Not ready, set, go!

4Vman · 03-02-2010, 03:03 PM

Well said Gecko,

Green to me means "Watch out for the bloke running the red"......

It also frightens me the number of people who race up the inside slip lane to anticipate the green and hit the intersection @40-50kph as the light goes green.....

Bud Bud · 03-02-2010, 03:16 PM

Thanks for the heads up geckoGT, I do not envy your job.

I have no sympathy for red light runners, but-

Firstly in this case if it was a yellow and only turned red once the Subaru was in the intersection then what was the Magna already doing there, was it turning right? Really no one should ever turn right in front of any on coming traffic at an intersection on the basis that they think that they may stop because the light has turned yellow. This is just crazy! If this is the case then they are just as much to blame. If they were not turning right then were they quick of the mark? This would require running a red light from another angle.

Secondly a red light camera would not have picked this up at least in S.A. as these cameras are only activated after the red signal. If both cars had entered the intersection after the red then no camera would have recorded it, so this may not have been avoided if this was a red light camera intersection. The only thing it may have caught is if the Suby was speeding through.

Gotta feel for the pedestrian though.

**Dave R** · 03-02-2010, 03:20 PM

I see this too much particularly in the city, the light goes yellow and even when I think I'm pushing it by going through, another 2 or 3 people behind me will go through as well! Mind boggling, alot of people are in such a mad rush and aren't thinking about anyone else on the road.

Chopped · 03-02-2010, 03:30 PM

I've had people nearly run up my **** because they thought I was going to speed up for a yellow, you can see them slamming on their brakes as they realize I am stopping for the red.
(normally followed by them pulling faces at me for not running the yellow/red !!!)

uranium_death · 03-02-2010, 03:34 PM

If the light turns amber, stop if you can.

That is the simplest way I could put it...

castellan · 03-02-2010, 04:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adrenaline

I see this too much particularly in the city, the light goes yellow and even when I think I'm pushing it by going through, another 2 or 3 people behind me will go through as well! Mind boggling, alot of people are in such a mad rush and aren't thinking about anyone else on the road.

Yes! and also just ignorant schmucks or some drongo half a sleep at the wheel.

Joe5619 · 03-02-2010, 04:46 PM

I'm sorry, I personally COMPLETELY disagree with the topic name.. You’re meant to go through a yellow.. Stopping on a yellow is dangerous IMO.

This crash was caused because someone ran a red, not a yellow!!

left · 03-02-2010, 05:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe5619

This crash was caused because someone ran a red, not a yellow!!

Agreeing with you. The way I read it, the other car was already in to the intersection thus the party at fault must have been running the red many seconds after it had changed from amber/yellow. It has nothing to do with going through the intersection on the yellow (which, I also agree, is fine *if* you are unable to stop in a safe manner).

**GasoLane** · 03-02-2010, 05:20 PM

Seems someone is telling porkies at the scene. If the Subaru ran the red it has nothing to do with the thread topic.

If however it ran the yellow then the Magna took off before the lights went green seeing as there is a 4sec delay between red and green.

Try stopping for a yellow light in Syd and then count the cars in the pile up behind you.

BENT_8 · 03-02-2010, 05:32 PM

Im not familiar with the intersection, but is it possible the magna was waiting to turn across the path of the Subaru on an intersection without a turn arrow when the light went yellow.
This would mean the Magna then turned across the oncoming traffic before they had come to a stop.
I see this all the time at intersections without arrows for turning traffic, especially if there is another car turning from the opposite direction blocking the view of the turning vehicle.

Chopped · 03-02-2010, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe5619

I'm sorry, I personally COMPLETELY disagree with the topic name.. You’re meant to go through a yellow.. Stopping on a yellow is dangerous IMO......

Fail !
Yellow Light means >

QLD - " Stop if it is safe to do so "
NSW - " Yellow (amber) means stop. You can enter the intersection if you are so close that sudden braking might cause a crash.."
VIC - " Yellow means STOP unless you are unable to do so safely."

Police CAN fine you for this, be careful.

LethalLeigh · 03-02-2010, 06:06 PM

I gotta admit I have I bloody good look behind me if I'm making a marginal call over a yellow light. So many times I've nearly been rear ended for it, especially in heavy traffic along somewhere like Portrush Rd in Adelaide. Along here it can be bumper to bumper with spurts of clear road in a real concertina action, quite troublesome.

WarNerve · 03-02-2010, 06:37 PM

i thuink they should have a 2 second gap between onelight turning red and the next going green to help prevent incidents like these and other accidents that can come to a bad judgment call and are that just accidents.

this method should prove way more successful than red light cameras that just use fines to make money

geckoGT · 03-02-2010, 06:47 PM

Ok a few here are making assumptions on what happened, no the magna was not turning across traffic for a start.

Also it is a large intersection with multiple lanes that leads to many people planting the foot to get through the yellow. Apparently this is what happened here, the subaru planted it to get through and did not make it. Lets wait to see what happens in the investigation and not have any more discussion on who did what. What I have said so far is from witnesses to the accident when I asked for information regarding what happened (primarily to calculate impact speeds).

The simple rule, if you have to accelerate to make it through before it turns red, you could have braked.

gtfpv · 03-02-2010, 06:49 PM

i believe for some reason that this is a little worse in queensland than it is in NSW. when i'm up there on holidays i notice queenslanders always run the yellow . perhaps we have more red light cameras here . my father inlaw is a special . he has been up there for 4 years and now he runs the orange / red. i watched him do it to 3 sets of traffic lights with my kids in the car, i was petrified . when he was in NSW he did not drive as such . when i commented he said it must be the queensland driving style , after that i noticed so many queensland drivers doing it .

WarNerve · 03-02-2010, 06:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by geckoGT

Ok a few here are making assumptions on what happened, no the magna was not turning across traffic for a start.

Also it is a large intersection with multiple lanes that leads to many people planting the foot to get through the yellow. Apparently this is what happened here, the subaru planted it to get through and did not make it. Lets wait to see what happens in the investigation and not have any more discussion on who did what. What I have said so far is from witnesses to the accident when I asked for information regarding what happened (primarily to calculate impact speeds).

The simple rule, if you have to accelerate to make it through before it turns red, you could have braked.

yea i agree with that i was just saying that the gov thinkns cameras will help in amber- red situations when they wont.

still a sad thing to have happened

geckoGT · 03-02-2010, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blue6

yea i agree with that i was just saying that the gov thinkns cameras will help in amber- red situations when they wont.

still a sad thing to have happened

I have to disagree.

As more people are copping fines due to exceeding the speed limit to beat the yellow, they will learn to stop accelerating to race the yellow. No it is not an instant fix but it will change habits. The only instant fix is to station a highway patrol car at each intersection, but then we will have to pay $5000 a year in registration to fund it, no thanks.

As has been said, QLD drivers are nuts for belting through intersections to beat the yellow, this does not seem to happen in NSW and ACT as much, both of which have the speed/red light combination cameras, why is that?

Personally I could not care less if they fit these cameras, I will keep my money and license. Only those that break the law should be worried and to be honest, I want them worried. That way I might not have to see pointless destruction of young lives.

svo supporter · 03-02-2010, 07:33 PM

Regardless of who was at fault, or what the reason behind it were, I feel sorry for the poor pedestrian. Standing at the lights, doing the right thing, waiting for a green walk signal and she gets cleaned up. Not fair on her.

GeckoGt. Please keep us updated on this poor pedestrians condition, if you hear about it. It'd be appreciated

XR6_190 · 03-02-2010, 07:43 PM

Quite a sobering OP there Gecko. Whilst I try to avoid proceeding through a yellow, sometimes it's unavoidable, but the amount of times that I have thought I myself have pushed the limit (gone when I could of possibly stopped, but thought it to be too close) only to see the 2 or 3 cars following me all go through as well, clearly running the RED, that is what makes me cringe.