when i accidentally ran the red light it was after 11pm and there was no-one, zero cars, on the road with me at the time. the intersection was completely empty. can't help but wonder what would have happened if i'd planted the breaks and stopped over the line. would the camera still go off, or is the speed i'm travelling also a factor (since the camera goes off when the sensors detect a car crossing the line after the light changes).
i've got 3 seconds after the light turns orange to cross the line, and 3 seconds after the light turns red until the other lights turn green.
the irony is the car accident that happened to me, and the reason why i needed a new car, happened because a p plated, novice, driver saw a red light camera at the lights and panicked. the light turned orange, she spotted the red light camera (on the other side of the road for on coming traffic, not us) and planted the breaks.
she didn't follow the golden rule they teach us when taking driving lessons, never stop suddenly without considering all those behind you and weather it is safe to stop without causing an accident.
the only person who saw her do this was the 4x4 driver coming up behind her. that driver managed to swerve into flowing traffic while the car directly after the 4x4 noticed the car in front breaking too late. it, the car behind it and myself all came screeching to a halt .. too late. one by one we hit her from behind, forcing her car out into the intersection, where the other traffic had to avoid hitting her.
we were in the middle lane of a 3 lane hwy and all the cars to the left and right of us made it safely through the intersection long before the light turned red. we were the only cars left at that intersection, any witnesses to say the p plater would have made it safely across the intersection if she hadn't panicked were long gone.
the red light camera at this intersection was the cause of a 4 car pile up. not a serious (resulting in death) accident but a bad accident none-the-less. one women involved in the accident was heavily pregnant and i (like the others no doubt) suffered bruising and damage to my joints that pained me for months. the camera may save lives but it causes more accidents.
the irony is i copped a 300+ fine for my red light incident. this p plater had no charge and was considered not at fault. the police who attended the accident said there was no way any of us could have stopped in time. there is no way to prepare yourself for a panicked driver who plants the breaks in an 80km p/h zone.
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