Red Light Cameras - SABRE (2024)

Hello again it's me.
I did a search for a thread regarding "Red light cameras" and couldnt find one (on the first page at least) So apologies if there has been a thread about this.
Anyhoo, I went past one recently pushing that amber light so late, (Come on we are all guilty of this) that whilst it was amber when the front wheels crossed the line, I think it was red just after the car went pass the line and I had to slow down for traffic.
Do they allow for this? Are there errors where you know you crossed that line on amber with the front 2 wheels at least.

What is their allowance before they are switched on to catch red light runners?

I've heard it said that there is 1-2 seconds' grace. I mean, an HGV could cross the line at a tight bend before the amber-red even starts and end up being snapped.

More disturbing to me is the fact that you cannot protest recieving a ticket for crossing a red light stop line to allow an emergency vehicle through, no matter how much they beep and tone at you.

DB617 wrote: ↑Mon Aug 17, 2020 12:59More disturbing to me is the fact that you cannot protest recieving a ticket for crossing a red light stop line to allow an emergency vehicle through, no matter how much they beep and tone at you.

That is because that is the law, you cannot go past the line at a red light even if an ambulance or a fire engine is behind you and they are stuck till you move. They even have to wait till the light is green for you to move out of their way if you are the first car in the queue and cannot move if it means going past that line. I think that the law should be changed to allow this, you're not gunning the light, you are simply moving out of the way to aid an emergency vehicle where literally every second counts! The only exception is a police officer and they have told you to move.

jervi wrote: ↑Mon Aug 17, 2020 13:02First of all, most of us aren't guilty of illegally going through an amber or red light. If it is amber, you should only proceed through it if it would be unsafe to otherwise not to.
In regards to getting a ticket and points for it, it depends on how the red light camera works.
There may be some small tolerance to allow long vehicle to have the rear of their vehicle pass though the red, however all offences would be reviewed by a person before being sent out, and they would use judgement to tell whether it was someone not stopping for a red light appose to unable to stop (such as a tailgater etc)

True what you say, amber does in fact mean stop, but its a bit of a grey area, hence why the need for an amber in the first place. Cars need time to stop, those that cant can go straight through. However I'm not normally one to do this but I do admit on a few occasions to push that opportunity so that I dont have to stop and carry on.
In fact you see lorry drivers do it all the time not to mention how many car drivers doing the same thing. You telling me you havent ONCE tried to push it through an amber just so not to stop? Come on lol.

Because amber has an exception (so close to the line that to stop might cause an accident) red light cameras only deal with the black and white situation of car crosses the stop line on red, and to do that, it needs to wait until vehicles over the line have cleared the junction in case of false positives.

Basically, to get caught you need to have actually deliberately gone through on red, just as talivans and fixed cameras will only catch you if your speedo is showing you more over the limit than you actually are.

That said, a former colleague was once snapped travelling through at 0mph. Because of traffic, she had had to stop over the stop line and for whatever reason - maybe another vehicle - she got snapped.

AndyB wrote: ↑Mon Aug 17, 2020 13:33Because amber has an exception (so close to the line that to stop might cause an accident) red light cameras only deal with the black and white situation of car crosses the stop line on red, and to do that, it needs to wait until vehicles over the line have cleared the junction in case of false positives.

Basically, to get caught you need to have actually deliberately gone through on red

So hopefully, as I went over with the front 2 wheels on amber but showing my brake lights to the camera into traffic where it was near stationary, Hopefully fingers crossed I should be okay. (I know no guarantee here but I'm still hoping heh heh.)

CrazyInWeston wrote: ↑Mon Aug 17, 2020 13:25 You telling me you havent ONCE tried to push it through an amber just so not to stop? Come on lol.

Surely the key here is that if you wish to indulge in such behaviour, you don't do it where there is a camera?

CrazyInWeston wrote: ↑Mon Aug 17, 2020 13:25

jervi wrote: ↑Mon Aug 17, 2020 13:02First of all, most of us aren't guilty of illegally going through an amber or red light. If it is amber, you should only proceed through it if it would be unsafe to otherwise not to.
In regards to getting a ticket and points for it, it depends on how the red light camera works.
There may be some small tolerance to allow long vehicle to have the rear of their vehicle pass though the red, however all offences would be reviewed by a person before being sent out, and they would use judgement to tell whether it was someone not stopping for a red light appose to unable to stop (such as a tailgater etc)

True what you say, amber does in fact mean stop, but its a bit of a grey area, hence why the need for an amber in the first place. Cars need time to stop, those that cant can go straight through. However I'm not normally one to do this but I do admit on a few occasions to push that opportunity so that I dont have to stop and carry on.
In fact you see lorry drivers do it all the time not to mention how many car drivers doing the same thing. You telling me you havent ONCE tried to push it through an amber just so not to stop? Come on lol.

Once accidentally ran a red in Portugal, and that's all.
There some occasions when I COULD of stopped for an amber, however would require slamming the breaks on and causing an accident. So, I have never pushed even an amber, even when in a rush.

AndyB wrote: ↑Mon Aug 17, 2020 13:33and fixed cameras will only catch you if your speedo is showing you more over the limit than you actually are.

Apologies off topic here a second, but how can a speedo in your car be more than the limit you actually are? (The way you worded it is that you're going faster than the speedo shows) Which cant happen as manufacturers do deliberately overstate car speedos just so that situation doesnt happen.

jervi wrote: ↑Mon Aug 17, 2020 13:48Once accidentally ran a red in Portugal, and that's all.
There some occasions when I COULD of stopped for an amber, however would require slamming the breaks on and causing an accident. So, I have never pushed even an amber, even when in a rush.

In other words, you have lol. There is a set of lights near me where as soon as it goes amber you need to do an almost emergency stop because the speed limit is so high. Your best bet is just to carry on through.

djw1981 wrote: ↑Mon Aug 17, 2020 13:45

CrazyInWeston wrote: ↑Mon Aug 17, 2020 13:25 You telling me you havent ONCE tried to push it through an amber just so not to stop? Come on lol.

See Also

How Can I Know If A Red Light Camera Caught Me | Ticket Snipers®

Surely the key here is that if you wish to indulge in such behaviour, you don't do it where there is a camera?

I know what you are saying, but I was driving in heavy traffic and didnt know that there was one till I stopped past the lights, looked at my Waze navigational app and I could then see it on the screen that I had just gone past one.

I got caught by one twenty-ish years ago on the Gloucester Ring Road, at a junction with a fairly minor side road. Now just beyond this is a fire station, there has been a call and the flashing reds hold traffic while the fire appliances come out, the queue stretching back over the junction with me just behind the stop line for the junction. The flashing reds go out, traffic starts moving, and so do I - *flash* - the lights for the junction had changed while I was concentrating on the flashing reds and the queue ahead. Not going fast, I stop anyway until the lights change back.

A few days later, the inevitable NIP appears in the post. There's no photo, but it correctly identifies the date, time and place, and my speed, which was very low. I own up to it, and explain the mitigating circ*mstances in my reply. Somewhat to my amazement, they decided to let me off with a "don't do it again" warning, which I was very happy to accept.

I wonder if they'd do that again today?

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CrazyInWeston wrote: ↑Mon Aug 17, 2020 13:49

AndyB wrote: ↑Mon Aug 17, 2020 13:33and fixed cameras will only catch you if your speedo is showing you more over the limit than you actually are.

Apologies off topic here a second, but how can a speedo in your car be more than the limit you actually are? (The way you worded it is that you're going faster than the speedo shows) Which cant happen as manufacturers do deliberately overstate car speedos just so that situation doesnt happen.

No, I had it the right way round.

The speedo shows a higher speed than you are actually doing, therefore if your actual speed is over the limit, the speedo will tell you you are even more over the limit than you actually are.

Basically, don’t come crying to me if you get done for 36, because your speedo will have been telling you you were doing 40.

DB617 wrote: ↑Mon Aug 17, 2020 12:59I've heard it said that there is 1-2 seconds' grace. I mean, an HGV could cross the line at a tight bend before the amber-red even starts and end up being snapped.

More disturbing to me is the fact that you cannot protest recieving a ticket for crossing a red light stop line to allow an emergency vehicle through, no matter how much they beep and tone at you.

Surely, there's no obligation to accept a fixed penalty notice - and by refusing, the matter goes to court where mitigating evidence can be given - the danger is that court penalties are higher.

I can confirm that there is a grace period between the red light showing and the camera activating. I have amber gambled on a number of occasions where there is a red light camera and I have seen the red light appear just before I cross the line. I don't know how long it is but on all occasions I've witnessed it I was over the line about 1/2 second after the light turned red.

Regarding emergency vehicles and red light cameras there has only been one occasion where I've had to hold up an ambulance because I couldn't creep any further forward without triggering the camera.

You're never going to get done by a camera for going through on amber. Even if it flashes once it turns red, I'm pretty sure a human at the other end looks at the footage before deciding to prosecute and wouldn't unless it was an obvious red light violation. The footage tells them how long the red light has been on and what speed the vehicles in the photos are going.

Which reminds me: red light cameras can also do you for speed, even when the lights are on green.

Gareth wrote: ↑Mon Aug 17, 2020 20:36Which reminds me: red light cameras can also do you for speed, even when the lights are on green.

No, these can't. They show your speed when jumping a red light but they are deactivated on green.

But this type of camera can operate as speed on green if there are measurement markings.

Obviously not the same thing to a red light but perhaps similar in terms of technology and process:

I think it was sometime last year, I was heading north on the Holloway Road section of the A1 in north London. I went through a green light and entered a box junction legitimately with traffic passing through freely. I then realised that an ambulance with its blue lights on heading south was signalling right and wanting to turn right at the junction. Being a responsible member of society, I stopped to let it across, and noticed a flash, which I assumed was a camera triggered by my stopping in a box junction.

After this, I remember running the incident back through my head several times and was ready to dispute any PCN that I received. Although, I could see the ambulance coming, with all the other vehicles and street furniture, I could not see that it was intending to turn right until after I entered the box junction. As it was, I never received anything and can only assume that the picture clearly showed me letting an ambulance cross, so nothing happened.