ASL legality

[Scoosh]

PoliceMadAd said: ↑

I stopped getting annoyed at drivers in asl's when i became a proffessional driver, id rather stop in one than run a red light and risk my licence. Its not really a danger to me, it doesnt bother me​

So as a professional driver your willing to run a red light. Motor vehicles are supposed to stop at the first line!

I think you have completely misunderstood the post !

He said he would rather stop in an ASL box than run a red light, as that could cause him to lose his licence.

 

[Scoosh]

I stopped getting annoyed at drivers in asl's when i became a proffessional driver, id rather stop in one than run a red light and risk my licence. Its not really a danger to me, it doesnt bother me

So as a professional driver your willing to run a red light. Motor vehicles are supposed to stop at the first line!

I think you've misread the post, classic !

He said he would rather stop in an ASL box than run the red light .....

 

[Spinney]

I think the point was that technically, if a car is in the ASL it has run the red light, as the stop line for the car is the first line...

 

[classic33]

I think the point was that technically, if a car is in the ASL it has run the red light, as the stop line for the car is the first line...

Which is what I said. At least someone read it.

 

[Dan B]

I stopped getting annoyed at drivers in asl's when i became a proffessional driver, id rather stop in one than run a red light and risk my licence. Its not really a danger to me, it doesnt bother me

While I sympathise with your preference, it's often not that hard to anticipate that a light may be about to change. For example, if it's been green for a while as you approach it, or if there are traffic queues on the other roads approaching the junction, or (bit of a giveaway this one) if it's showing amber as you approach it, these are all signs that it may be about to go red and perhaps you should back off the throttle a bit

 

[PoliceMadAd]

Some right picky people on here, yes the first line is for motor vehicles, but sometimes it is better to stop and slightly encroach the asl than to stop abruptly and risk being rear-ended. And yes i should anticipate the lights changing, as a matter of fact i do, but there have been times when i've been driving at 20mph after letying off the gas, but still had the lights change to amber 2yards in front of me. My forward planning was the main factor in me failing my PCV test 3 times in 2010 and since 2011 ive been driving on average 25+ hours pw, ive learned a helluva lot in that time. Just loosen up a bit guys, i'm sure you've got bigger things to worry about.

 

[slowmotion]

Just loosen up a bit guys, i'm sure you've got bigger things to worry about.

I have.

 

[Dan B]

Some right picky people on here, yes the first line is for motor vehicles, but sometimes it is better to stop and slightly encroach the asl than to stop abruptly and risk being rear-ended.

At junctions where there s no ASL, do you take the same attitude that it's OK to overshoot the stop line?

 

[Matthew_T]

Some right picky people on here, yes the first line is for motor vehicles, but sometimes it is better to stop and slightly encroach the asl than to stop abruptly and risk being rear-ended. And yes i should anticipate the lights changing, as a matter of fact i do, but there have been times when i've been driving at 20mph after letying off the gas, but still had the lights change to amber 2yards in front of me. My forward planning was the main factor in me failing my PCV test 3 times in 2010 and since 2011 ive been driving on average 25+ hours pw, ive learned a helluva lot in that time. Just loosen up a bit guys, i'm sure you've got bigger things to worry about.

If you have to stop abruptly and vehicle goes into you, then it is the vehicle behinds fault. They should judge the road ahead and give other motorists a reasonable amount of room. If they cannot stop quickly enough, then they are too close to you which isnt your fault.

 

[Crackle]

If you have to stop abruptly and vehicle goes into you, then it is the vehicle behinds fault. They should judge the road ahead and give other motorists a reasonable amount of room. If they cannot stop quickly enough, then they are too close to you which isnt your fault.

Really. Fine in theory, in practise if you can avoid a collision through your own means, it's far better to do so, regardless of fault but hey that's common sense, I wouldn't expect people arguing toss on a forum to actually realize that.

You commonly see this at roundabouts. Car in front goes to go, realizes they can't make it and stops. Car behind thinks they've gone and goes straight into the back. Technically, car behind is at fault but really the car in front misjudged things first.

If I have to brake hard I look in the mirror as I do. I don't want to be in the right but flattened by a lorry.

 

[Dan B]

But I can't see why you have to stop any more abruptly for the first line than the second. The amber light duration is fixed at three seconds. Unless the traffic lights are directly after a bend in the road such that you can't even see them for three seconds as you approach the junction, there should really be not much more problem in stopping smoothly and under control in 23 metres than there is in 26 metres.

And if the light changes when you're too close to the junction to stop at the first line because some eejit is tailgating you - do you really think they're expecting you to stop at the next one, or are they expecting you to speed up and shoot the junction so they can do it too? It must surely be a very small number of occasions where it's risky to stop for the first line yet all that much safer to stop for the second.

 

[gaz]

^ That. As the highway code and legislation points out, the amber means stop and if it's unsafe for you to stop then you should continue through.
As Dan points out, the amber phases is plenty of time to start slowing down and stop safely behind a stop line.

 

[summerdays]

Is the amber phase always 3 seconds ...??? I've never really thought about it - I will have to look next time.

I don't mind a car that stops over the line encroaching on the box if they needed the space to stop smoothly. I object to those who cross into the box even though they can see it is red. And if a car is waiting to turn right they could easily end up in the ASL box whilst waiting. There is a turn nearby my friends house which you can't turn off the A38 until the light changes red for on-coming traffic - it is easy to get caught in the box there. As it is the access for the sports centre there is usually a queue of traffic waiting to turn right which starts waiting infront of the ASL waiting for the gap. (The timing of the lights seems to be set so that two cars can turn after the oncoming traffic light goes red before the side road goes green).

 

[HLaB]

Is the amber phase always 3 seconds ...??? I've never really thought about it - I will have to look next time.

Not always, its supposed to be calculated on the offset of the stop line of those losing priority to the main flow gaining it and occasionally there is extra discretion added for safety.

 

[Crackle]

But I can't see why you have to stop any more abruptly for the first line than the second. The amber light duration is fixed at three seconds. Unless the traffic lights are directly after a bend in the road such that you can't even see them for three seconds as you approach the junction, there should really be not much more problem in stopping smoothly and under control in 23 metres than there is in 26 metres.

And if the light changes when you're too close to the junction to stop at the first line because some eejit is tailgating you - do you really think they're expecting you to stop at the next one, or are they expecting you to speed up and shoot the junction so they can do it too? It must surely be a very small number of occasions where it's risky to stop for the first line yet all that much safer to stop for the second.

Are you talking to me Dan I'm not sure? I'll assume you are.

I'm not talking about you or me stopping abruptly, I'm talking about someone behind not paying attention. I know someone who stopped at a set of lights and was hit hard from behind by someone who not only hadn't seen him but hadn't seen the lights. I've looked in my mirror a few times and thought, are you going to stop and I've prepared in case they weren't and that might mean easing off the braking a bit and rolling forward more, to being prepared to move out the way if possible.

I do the same thing on a bike. I check over my shoulder as I approach a light and brake, I don't want to be wiped out by some muppet who's decided he can make that left turn just in front of me.

I know someone else who got done for driving through a red light. He went back to the junction, timed the sequence and went to court to show it was timed wrongly.

We're moving away from ASL's though, which in my experience most people ignore around here. I suspect most of them don't even know what they are. In a similar vein to above, someone nearly went into the back of me because I stopped at the ASL instead of the lights. I could see them in the mirror, swearing at me.