Crazy car drives through red lights, smashes bike

**fredie** · 14th November 2007, 22:56

very bad driving http://www.break.com/index/car-blows...its-biker.html

**Moxy** · 14th November 2007, 23:19

Link didn't work (get rid of the colon angry2 colon at the end of the url), but yeah, in my area, it's a frequent sight to see cars go straight through give-way and "stop" intersections without even slowing down.

There are a couple of these coming onto the main road I ride up and down every day.

Basically a monthly occurance for me to think "glad I slowed right down, otherwise I would have smacked into that car"

**car** · 15th November 2007, 09:33

Originally Posted by Moxy

Basically a monthly occurance for me to think "glad I slowed right down, otherwise I would have smacked into that car"

*shudder*

Yeah. Also "pick your time and place to play Traffic Light Grand Prix." Sometimes it pays not to be too quick off that green.

**MotoGirl** · 15th November 2007, 11:33

Originally Posted by car

*shudder*

Yeah. Also "pick your time and place to play Traffic Light Grand Prix." Sometimes it pays not to be too quick off that green.

It drives me nuts when people run red lights! I always look at them and think "dangerous bastard".

Tauranga has a lethal intersection that I use on a daily basis. Every time the light turns green, you actually have to stay put for a few seconds and give way to the half dozen cars running the red light. I could understand it if they ran the orange light, but they're still coming from the other side of the road when I'm on the green.

what's that about?

**Griff** · 15th November 2007, 14:10

I don't believe what I saw !!!

The tosser of a driver was actually going to pull the biker away from the front of the car just before the policeman arrived!!!!

**swbarnett** · 16th November 2007, 12:36

Originally Posted by MotoGirl

Tauranga has a lethal intersection that I use on a daily basis. Every time the light turns green, you actually have to stay put for a few seconds and give way to the half dozen cars running the red light.

The problem is one of psycology. Drivers know that there will be a short period after their light goes red where yours is also red. They use this gap and will often get it wrong without even knowing it. If there was no gap i.e. if their light is red yours is green and vice versa, drivers will have a much easier time of deciding when the intersection is availble to them.

I'm not trying to excuse the idiots that run reds but at the same time we don't want traffic lights that invite this sort of behaviour.

**klingon** · 16th November 2007, 12:49

Originally Posted by Moxy

...in my area, it's a frequent sight to see cars go straight through give-way and "stop" intersections without even slowing down.

Happened to me a few months ago, but the car that was going through the stop sign without slowing sown was behind me. I stopped, she didn't.

Broken ribs, bruising, concussion, written off bike. I still have disturbance to my vision as a result of this.

People can be really really really really incompetent behind the wheel of a car.

**Highlander** · 17th November 2007, 14:53

Originally Posted by MotoGirl

It drives me nuts when people run red lights! I always look at them and think "dangerous bastard".

Tauranga has a lethal intersection that I use on a daily basis. Every time the light turns green, you actually have to stay put for a few seconds and give way to the half dozen cars running the red light. I could understand it if they ran the orange light, but they're still coming from the other side of the road when I'm on the green.

what's that about?

Just the one?

Bet I'm thinking of a different one to you.

**Waylander** · 17th November 2007, 15:03

Originally Posted by Highlander

Just the one?

Bet I'm thinking of a different one to you.

Cameron and Route P, The two new lights at the cement factory end of Hewlets Rd, The pedestrian light near the Welcome Bay Round-a-bout and the lights for the corner near Baywave and Bayfair.
The two on Hewlets Rd are particularly bad, I've seen big rigs blow the light there and sit in the middle just like they used to for the round-a-bouts.

**Patar** · 18th November 2007, 16:40

Introduce a lot more red light cameras and maybe even one's the cops can set up at random.
At the moment running red lights can only be caught if a cop is sitting at the lights and even then I doubt the cops would bother going after them.

**car** · 19th November 2007, 08:19

Originally Posted by Patar

Introduce a lot more red light cameras and maybe even one's the cops can set up at random.

Much as I hate speed cameras (at least when used inappropriately) I can't help but agree with this. There's sod all excuse for jumping red lights, it's not even fun, and having been on the receiving end a couple of times, I can assure you that it's quite painful. You want revenue-generating cameras? Stick them on top of traffic lights.

At the moment running red lights can only be caught if a cop is sitting at the lights and even then I doubt the cops would bother going after them.

Hmm.

**Roj** · 19th November 2007, 11:11

Originally Posted by Patar

Introduce a lot more red light cameras and maybe even one's the cops can set up at random.
At the moment running red lights can only be caught if a cop is sitting at the lights and even then I doubt the cops would bother going after them.

At the times the cops do they make good money, $150 instant fine,

set up more red light cameras then they could reduce our tax...

**Mikkel** · 19th November 2007, 13:20

That's just gruesome to watch! The amount of spins he manages to pull before he comes down again is just scary. Almost looks as if he head butts the car before getting thrown up into the air.
And that car certainly wasn't running the orange - it was green for the biker from the beginning of the video. Can only hope the guy wasn't too badly hurt.

As for enforcing it in NZ. I think there's an easy fix - up the fine and add a 50 demerit point penalty for running the reds. Currently there's not demerit point penalty!