Green for danger

Next time you are approaching a junction with traffic lights, ask yourself what a green light means.

If your answer is “go”, you are only half right!

For the full point, you need to remind yourself that a green light at the junction does indeed mean go, but only if it is clear to do so.

Then ask yourself how long has it been green and what colour will it go to next? There is only one answer to that one: amber. And amber doesn’t mean “speed up to get across the lights before they change”. It means stop.

These days, especially with congestion the way it is, we see more and more drivers prepared to risk an amber light (we used to call them “amber gamblers” but that seems to have fallen into disuse) and amazingly even a red light to get across a junction.

That in turn means that we need an extra “defensive driving” technique to use. Just because the lights are “with you”, always take a moment as you approach the junction to glance both ways, to satisfy yourself that you can get across the junction in safety, and that there is nothing unexpected where it shouldn’t be that could cause a crash.

By taking a moment to look both ways, even when your light is green, you might be able to spot early somebody who is prepared to risk their safety – and yours – by ignoring the traffic signals.

Even if the light is green in your favour, keep using your rear mirror as well.

It may be for example that you have somebody following you too closely. In which case, you spotting the amber light in good time means that you will be able to slow down early, brake more gently and so reduce the chances of a rear-end shunt.