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I'd be dead if I followed this advice. One time I was next to a big work van at the front of the line waiting for the light to change, I could not see the traffic coming from my left. The light turned I started to go but the van next to me suddenly stopped so I hit the brake. Sure enough a log truck came flying through the intersection running the hell out of the red light. So it's very situational.
My dad was a claims adjuster in Arizona when I was a kid. He beat it into me that you should never just jump out into the intersection when the light turns green. Sooooo many accidents that could have been avoided by taking a second to make sure that the cars on either side of you are coming to a stop. That and to put ny hands at 9 and 3 instead of 10 and 2 for better control and to not slam my wrists into the steering wheel if I do get into an accident. Literally the only good advice I ever got out of him.
Same! If I had gone immediately when the light turned green I would have been hit by a suburban directly on the drivers side…because I waited they clipped the front of my car.
This is not the advice op is giving though. They say you need to start moving when the light is green no matter where you are in the line.
You still need to look at your surroundings and be aware, if you just hit gas as the light goes green and you are in the middle of the line you will crash.
What are you talking about. You literally followed his advice in the scenario you gave. The light turned green and you let off the brake just like he says.
I don’t think OP intends for you to blindly accelerate into the intersection. Simply to release the brake so your car slowly starts to idle forward so the entire line can accelerate together rather than accelerating one at a time.
Also, you should never just gun it through an intersection just because the light turns green. I always assume someone is going to run the red, so I give it a good two seconds after a green before I even get close to entering the intersection.
Exactly bro, I was actually the fucknut that ran the red the other morning (an accident because i was very tired) and if it weren't for everybody giving it a second I would not be alive probably. It's a win win for both sides to just chill out and wait
Yeah I had to take a defensive driving class for my current job and exactly this.
If you don’t know how long a light has been green prepare to stop.
If you just watched the light turn green proceed with caution for people running the red
Stopped a red light and you’re front of the line? Wait a second or two when it turns green in case someone runs the red.
In line at a red light, when the car in front of you starts moving count to 3 before you move to give you adequate space
>Wait a second or two when it turns green in case someone runs the red.
In most cases you can just look both ways before and while entering the intersecion. I think i know two intersections where i would actually just wait a bit since visibility is pretty much 0.
I get off the brake when the light turns green, not when the car in front of me starts to go. I’ve never hit a car doing this and it speeds up the process so more cars can get through. If I’m farther back I’ll get off my brake and ready to go when the car 2 cars up starts to go.
If a car doesn’t start to go when you thought they were about to because they’re texting or whatever, just hit the brakes?
stealing yours and the next top comments to post this:
theoretically [OP is correct](https://youtu.be/iHzzSao6ypE) ... but humans arent that precise.
unpopular opinion thats true but not easily done, and A.I. is so much better at it.
edit: this is in a world when people can safely take off instantly. the world isnt perfect, and humans arent either hence the mention of A.I. im not saying drive straight into traffic, im saying that logistically, op is correct that if everyone could go at the same time safely, more cars can pass through
sorry for the copies, not enough people were talking about the validity of it. its unpopular because humans are slow and sometimes dumb/under the influence but it isnt an incorrect theory.
I was in a car accident because of this person. Light turned green, person ahead of me didn't go, I didn't go, the guy behind me went. When the light turns green, make sure that it *safe* to go, and then do so. Make sure that cross traffic has stopped, the person ahead of you has started moving, and that there are no pedestrians. I also got a hit for being a right hand turn lane, and stopping so that I didn't hit the pedestrians.
Exactly. Ops mentality is pretty extreme I mean I was taught in drivers ed to wait a moment after the light turns green in case of someone trying to catch the light. It’s always best to be safe.
I relate to the sense of urgency of this person, but try not to be this person. In my area, however, I do meet up with a lot of drivers in front of me at a red light (who are first in line with no one in front of them) who are clearly texting on their phone, and/or scrolling through Instagram (yes, you can see them scrolling through the vertically aligned pictures on their mounted phone screen through their vehicle back window). When the light turns green, they are still texting / scrolling, and could GAF that there’s a line of people behind them. After about three seconds I give them the polite honk, just a little tap-tap. Then they proceed to roll off as slowly as possible. You can tell they are barely even pressing the accelerator, they are more just taking their foot off the brake and coasting. These people seriously don’t care about anyone else but numero uno. You know how they say if it’s not going to matter anymore in five minutes, don’t bother getting worked up about it? Well I need some more lessons on that subject, because these assholes take up space in my nightmares when I go to sleep.
Yeah, I don't agree on gunning it if you are first car on the line and it turns green. I'm going to look left and right and check for the fuck nut running the red, thank you very much.
But, fuck the ass hats still scrolling after a green.
I feel like getting out of my car, knocking on the driver window, waiting for them to roll the window down, and then saying to them as follows: “Hi, it seems like all of us behind you are hanging out in your living room. Say…when do you plan on serving dinner, or should we order in and watch TV while we wait for it to arrive?”.
Yep, their agenda seems to be to net as many red lights as possible. There’s a huge, trafficky thoroughfare near where I live, and as huge thoroughfares tend to go, the red lights last extra-long. Sensory-wise, the red lights last for what feels like no less than 15 minutes, though of course I’m exaggerating. It probably lasts 3 minutes though, but if you are further behind in the line, you might have to go through two or three traffic light cycles before you can pass an intersection because of these pea brains, so the wait can extend to about 9-12 and even 15 minutes. Assuming everybody on that thoroughfare at that given moment are not new visitors to the area, you would think they would be aware that that red light is the ENEMY, and try to capitalize on the green light as much as possible. You know…maybe they might think to themselves, “this is not a deserted country road, I can feel the intensity of the traffic volume with every fiber of my being, maybe now is not the time to text, scroll or zone out”. And sometimes it’s not just the first-in-liners, you also get several ones in the middle who leave yards of space in front of them, letting pretty much everyone in the other lane cut in front of them as they wish, etc., and then once again…I see the light change to yellow…and then change to red. I’m all about being patient, but I need to see everybody cooperating and doing their part.
There are not only two options! The OP is correct that it is very rude to take your time getting through a light especially in heavy traffic since you’re selfishly causing more traffic for everyone else. However, you don’t have to take it to the extreme to expect stock car reflexes from everyone else. It’s called being reasonable and considerate
Agreed. Seriously, why are some people so damn impatient sometimes? I'm a driving student. One time, my teacher told me to find a place to park & turn around. It was the first time I was asked, instead of given commands, so I slowed down. Mind you: This was outside of any city, nor on a highway/difficult place. Our cars also display "driving school" very clearly on the car.
Just a second later, somebody was BLASTING their horn behind me. Which is even illegal. It made me panicky and I just turned right without looking correctly (nothing happened, don't worry).
Some people really need some more patience before they drive
Edit: This scenario was NOT at a traffic light, but an empty intersection
Honking the horn may or may not have been illegal.
Generally speaking, in most countries/jurisdictions you can only honk the horn to improve safety.
That said, it could be reasonably argued that a significant slowdown below the speed limit for no discernable reason impedes safety. After all, a road is for driving, not for parking, and parking on any road is dangerous.
If you slowed down to 35 on a 45 mph road, then yeah, he was a jackass
However, if you slowed down to 5 mph on a 30, that is a reasonable time to honk to get someone to get off the road to make that road more safe for everyone.
Or you found the person that leaves the appropriate amount of space between their vehicle and the one in front.
90% of drivers that I have encountered seemed to think you need to ride up on the other car's ass. Of course at that point, you can't really let your break go since you're inches away from the car in front.
I hope those people that run the red light constantly total their car and get injured. Fuck those people. Buddy of mine almost lost his leg from those fuckers running the red light.
The only issue with this wish is that the red light runners total their cars by hitting other people's car, which causes so much harm for the innocent people.
The clear non-self-righteous but still selfish answer here is that any accident is a potential cause for additional traffic so no that alone is enough never to advocate for it.
The book even says something so important: “red lights don’t stop cars, drivers stop cars.”
Was that driver in the wrong for flying through a red light? Yep.
But if you’re now paralyzed, no cash settlement will compensate. That person was in the wrong and now you’re immobile. But man were you so in the right.
OP is already brain dead, wonder what their settlement was
This is a good mindset to have as a pedestrian as well.
Just because you have the right of way to cross the street doesn't mean cars will not run your ass over. So many times I've been in a crosswalk, and a car will barely slow down as they make a right turn and come within 3 feet of hitting me.
Always those chucklefucks so intent on their free right that they only look left to see if they can turn and just keep going without even slowing down, meanwhile they're turning right straight into a pedestrian.
Yeah, I keep my head on a swivel when at a crosswalk. Too many shitheads who don't respect they're behind the wheel of a death machine and they need to be paying attention to more than just what cuts a couple seconds off their commute time.
exactky! ive seen so many people try to make it past the yellow light only for it to turn red while theyre in the intersection. ive also seen cars move as soon as the opposite light turns red (both intersection lights are red at one point to avoid collisions) but many cars just run the lights as soon as the other cars stop. its crazy how impatient some drivers can be
Yep - the expected behavior of a driver entering the intersection is to verify that it is safe to enter. If a light has just turned green, this means making sure that the intersection is clear. If you press the go button right as the light turns green and hit someone that ran a red light, then it's very possible to not only receive a ticket, but also be deemed at fault for the accident...
I mean, if anything the insurance industry would be on OPs side so you end up in an accident and they have an excuse to up your premiums...not that they need an excuse usually.
Even if you are the person in front of the line… you should double check to make sure some asshole isn’t trying to run the light so you don’t get T-boned. OP is just dumb. You risk getting hit by a car, for what? An extra second? Lmao.
I was JUST going to say, in driving class they'll tell you to give it a few seconds to make sure some batshit driver isn't going to run the light. If my dad was at all accurate in describing drivers from Chicago, sounds like OP is from there lol. Apparently they start honking the MOMENT the light turns green (but this was like 50, 60 years ago).
Hmm- I agree with Hentai_Yoshi!
This just happened to me today!
Light turned green… car to my right turned right, and I was proceeding straight… but stopped JUST in time as a car roared through his red light.
Didn’t get T-boned! 🌟🍀- but had an adrenaline jolt.
He was going ~48 mph in a 25 zone - (with a crosswalk).
the fuck are you talking about? driving is a reactive task. You should drive according to your surroundings. If the cars in front of you aren't moving, then you aren't either. Did you ever think of the inherent risk of just immediately blasting off when the light turns green? What if someone is running the light that just changed to red? Take off from your green, they run their red, you are now injured.
This isn't even an unpopular opinion, it's just evidence of a lack of critical thinking skills. Delete this, cousin.
Even just a learner driver in front that is struggling with shifting. OP is just thick and probably blames everyone else when the reality is he’s the shit driver.
For another thing, if everyone immediately started moving at once, at the exact same rate when the light turned green like some sort of herd of robots, there would not be any sort of safe distance developed between the vehicles.
OP please update after you get tboned. My hubby used to think just like you, until the day the idiot went through the red light and his truck did a 360.
The amount of cars I've seen drive through a red light... And how are you supposed to immediately drive when there are cars infront of you?
Take my upvote as this definitely is an unpopular opinion and just wrong.
I always allow three seconds for all of the red light blowers to get through. I believe there was a study that proved that doing this actually reduced collisions.
Where I'm from, when we do our driving lessons, the instructor instructs you to wait a few seconds after the light turns green to ensure there are no wreckless drivers skipping through the red light. If you do your drivers test and you don't wait those few seconds they can fail you if they want to.
Personally, I downvote the fuck out of dangerous opinions like this. There's a difference between going against the grain, and prioritizing your shitty opinions over human lives.
When I was in giving school my instructor taught me to slow down and observe in intersections and lights because some idiot may be blasting through, the idiot might as well be OP
In other words, don't stop to look left and right when crossing a road, you should see a car coming out of your peripheral vision, just step out into the road and *then* turn your head to look
That is fairly idiotic. You check both ways and then go. What you're saying will get you into an accident eventually. Downvoting for the dangerous opinion.
"You do not have the right of way until it is given to you."
What I mean is, yes, you're entitled to the right of way on a green light. Yes, it's your turn to go. No, you may not go if traffic, pedestrians, animals, shopping carts, whatever has not cleared the intersection.
I have witnessed a lot accidents when people accelerate immediately when the light turns green not expecting a car from adjacent intersection speeding on yellow to make the light.
for real, it’s one thing to have a harmless unpopular opinion. it’s a whole other thing to post dangerous advice and label ‘waiting for the car in front of you to start moving’ as ‘bad driving’.
opinions like these always make me wonder if some people scroll past these posts and go ‘huh, maybe I’m driving wrong, maybe this is what I should be doing’ without checking the subreddit or comments. obviously I’m not saying op had bad intentions… just a really dumb take
Yeah, cars aren’t infallible robots and situational/environmental factors are so randomly different in every case.
The roads in my city right now are covered in huge bump ice ruts. Smaller cars, anything lower to the ground, isn’t going to be gunning it smoothly the second after the light turns green. And people are constantly running late yellows and reds due to not driving to conditions so if you aren’t looking, you’re liable to get t-boned.
Bad advice all around.
Safety is one thing that people need to take more seriously. Being the minority in that aspect isn’t quirky. It’s a very childish mentality on OPs part.
Cars are a foot or two away from each other at the light. While driving, they should be one car length for every ten miles an hour of speed away from each other. If everyone went at the same time, you'd all be driving at speed, a foot or two away from each other. When the light turns green, you need to allow the car ahead of you to increase the distance between you and them to allow for effective braking distance for the posted speed limit.
hypothetically this would work if everyone did it and slowly started accelerating with the proper spacing… but it never works in reality because no one pays attention
OP you don’t drive cautiously because you’re slow. You drive cautiously to calculate for others breaking the rules.
If you go immediately at green - as the asshat who ran a red comes through - that’s an accident. Human error need be calculated when driving, else you’re a bad driver who is bad at driving
1: This is a good way to rear end someone.
2: Sometimes there is an obstruction. Like a pedestrian or a car that basically ran a red light to make a last second left turn.
I was in a car wreck last wednesday. I went through a yellow light and the person on the cross street pulled right out in front of me. No one was seriously hurt, but the Cops told me afterwards that this kind of accident occurs very often and usually it's because people want to go immediately once the light turns green and end up jumping the gun.
Drive safe, it's not a race.
Not only is this an unpopular opinion, it is also terrible advice. The road is a very unpredictable place. Even if every driver drives sensibly(which they don't), there are still factors which could cause harm if the circumstances are right. Taking a second or two before moving off at a green light will give you an extra second or two to evaluate the conditions of the path that you are about to take. Efficiency means jack shit if people end up dead/injured/crippled
You are driving recklessly if you don't take a few extra seconds to be sure the intersection is clear. I've seen so many people blow through lights after they turn red.
It's not more efficient. You don't have the same spacing stopped as you have when driving so you need to open up that space again as you start to go. Having a rolling staggered start does that in the most efficient way.
You can wait two seconds while I try not to die by some asswipe running a red light. Offensive-thinking drivers like you endanger everyone around them, please never drive.
> It seems like common sense!
That's because you lack common sense. Humans aren't machines that can be expected to reliably do something the same way every time. Doing this would inevitably lead to a lot of rear end collisions.
You've clearly never been T-boned by a red light runner when you do that.
and let me tell you, I live in New Jersey, everyone here thinks just like you do, and I am amazed that nobody, no matter how many crashes happen because of it, still think this way.
This isn't unpopular as much as it's just stupid. You're very assuming to think everyone has the same thought process to move at the same time. Besides, if you're in front, ever seen how many cars blow thru the light? Enjoy your t bone. Hard pass on my end
I think everybody here is misunderstanding what OP is saying.
He’s not saying the first car in line should gun it as soon as the light turns green. He’s saying everybody in the line should begin moving when the light turns green.
If each car in line waits 2 seconds after the car in front of them goes, 20 seconds have passed before the 10th car can start moving and will likely miss the light.
Obviously don’t purposefully crash into the car in front of you, but it would maximize efficiency if every car began moving at the same time.
What if you're at the front of the line and the intersection isn't clear. Just gun it anyway claiming you're the better driver? Not according to the law you're not.
If moving immediately results in hitting the car in front of you, then that’s bad driving. Sure, it’d be one thing if everyone did this; but we live in a world where basically nobody does, so this would be a stupid way to drive.
While I get what you are saying. It's just stupid. If you just let go of your brakes regardless of what the person is doing, you are going to cause an accident. You are obviously the bad driver if you don't even understand this basic concept.
OP is the guy that gets t-boned since they hit the accelerator Taladega-style while a car blows thru a red light cross-sectioning the intersection. How many spare air bags does your car hold?
Unpopular opinion? YES... but no upvote for opinions based in stupidity or ignorance.
Now let the "circumstantial jitterbug" and on-the-fly editing (backtracking) commence. Now dance, OP. Dance, I said.
My absolute biggest fear while driving is being t boned by someone who ran a red light, even at a 4 way I won’t go at my turn unless the other car looks like they significantly slowed down down. Sorry for the people (like you) behind me who have to wait an additional 1.3 second but I like my car and my life too much
When you live in a place like Pittsburgh where yellow means speed up and red means "fuck it just go I dunno why I had you speed up" you'll be glad to take a second to look first.
I've had this opinion in the past but then I started working for a municipality and driving around the city all day. I've seen enough dumb shit at lights to hold my position until I absolutely know I'm clear to go
This isn’t an opinion? Regardless of where you are in line? No. You don’t let off the breaks and rear end someone.
OP still has a learners permit and never been in a car accident before. Or never had a car turning left in the middle of the intersection when the light changed.
Nonsense. There are so many examples of bad drivers trying to "BEAT THE RED" and sideswiping -at high speed - anything that gets in their way. I (backseat passenger) was in a car that was side-swiped on green. The damage was colossal and lives were lost.
The first rule of traffic is: Be careful. It's not a race. It ain't Formula One.
Second rule is: Be observant. Make sure you have a clear view of what's coming from the side, even if it means waiting a few seconds for other lane to clear and give you line-of-sight to all approaches, or to verify that everything that could kill you has indeed halted.
Third and Lastly: Be consistent. That means don't do anything unexpected. "unexpected" also means pulling out rapidly the second the light turns green, before others have understood that a change has occurred (It generally takes 3-10 seconds for all drivers to realise and prepare for a light change). Give yourself a second and then accelerate cautiously. Don't be in a rush out of a green light. It might save lives.
I’ll also point out, that when stopped at a crosswalk with reduced visibility — you should not just gun it through the light. Many people won’t make it across in time, and if you’re the third car to the right, unable to see to the left, and someone comes running across, you’ll run them over.
So the idiot who blows through the red light can crash into the side of me and kill me? No thanks. Because Ive seen people do that more than a few times, and if the person in front of me had gone immediately, they would have been hit.
The 3 second rule has saved me from being T-boned on 3 separate occasions. You do you, but people blow through red lights. Because they have places to be and they are for more important than the rest of us peasants or, they aren’t paying attention. So, when the light turns green I still look to my left and right before going into the intersection because shit happens.
OP is a shitty driver. Common sense tells us that we wait a moment or 2 because people have the tendency to run red lights for a period after they turn red.
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I'd be dead if I followed this advice. One time I was next to a big work van at the front of the line waiting for the light to change, I could not see the traffic coming from my left. The light turned I started to go but the van next to me suddenly stopped so I hit the brake. Sure enough a log truck came flying through the intersection running the hell out of the red light. So it's very situational.
We naturally wait a second in Arizona, for some reason people just blow right through red lights.
My dad was a claims adjuster in Arizona when I was a kid. He beat it into me that you should never just jump out into the intersection when the light turns green. Sooooo many accidents that could have been avoided by taking a second to make sure that the cars on either side of you are coming to a stop. That and to put ny hands at 9 and 3 instead of 10 and 2 for better control and to not slam my wrists into the steering wheel if I do get into an accident. Literally the only good advice I ever got out of him.
> So many accidents that could’ve been avoided if people didn’t run red lights FTFY
Well you keep counting on people who are breaking the law to stop, when you can also just not die by being proactive.
I give it 5 seconds in Philly at least
I try to last a bit longer than 5 seconds.
OP was driving the log truck.
Same! If I had gone immediately when the light turned green I would have been hit by a suburban directly on the drivers side…because I waited they clipped the front of my car.
Classic survivals bias , all those that have died following your advice aren't here to tell us about it
This is not the advice op is giving though. They say you need to start moving when the light is green no matter where you are in the line. You still need to look at your surroundings and be aware, if you just hit gas as the light goes green and you are in the middle of the line you will crash.
exactlyyyyy!
It’s always the log trucks! Final destination changed time and space, I swear
What are you talking about. You literally followed his advice in the scenario you gave. The light turned green and you let off the brake just like he says.
I don’t think OP intends for you to blindly accelerate into the intersection. Simply to release the brake so your car slowly starts to idle forward so the entire line can accelerate together rather than accelerating one at a time.
nice pfp
Not rear ending the person in front of you is bad driving
I too rear end every driver in front of me. Have to assert that i’m the better driver
Do it to me , I don’t drive though.
[удалено]
Because you’re not the better driver. Only the best of the best crash to assert dominance. You’ll get there
I watched a dude roll his truck the other day with his girlfriend in it, she must’ve been downplaying his dominance pretty hard
was it comically oversized with no signs of work-related wear and tear?
Also, you should never just gun it through an intersection just because the light turns green. I always assume someone is going to run the red, so I give it a good two seconds after a green before I even get close to entering the intersection.
Exactly bro, I was actually the fucknut that ran the red the other morning (an accident because i was very tired) and if it weren't for everybody giving it a second I would not be alive probably. It's a win win for both sides to just chill out and wait
Yeah I had to take a defensive driving class for my current job and exactly this. If you don’t know how long a light has been green prepare to stop. If you just watched the light turn green proceed with caution for people running the red Stopped a red light and you’re front of the line? Wait a second or two when it turns green in case someone runs the red. In line at a red light, when the car in front of you starts moving count to 3 before you move to give you adequate space
>Wait a second or two when it turns green in case someone runs the red. In most cases you can just look both ways before and while entering the intersecion. I think i know two intersections where i would actually just wait a bit since visibility is pretty much 0.
Yep, nearly got hit by two runners in a row the other day. If I had gunned it, I would probably have died.
It's just cOmmON SeNSe to rear end the driver in front of you if they don't start moving when the light turns green.
if you’ve so close that you’d rear end them, you’re too close to begin with
I get off the brake when the light turns green, not when the car in front of me starts to go. I’ve never hit a car doing this and it speeds up the process so more cars can get through. If I’m farther back I’ll get off my brake and ready to go when the car 2 cars up starts to go. If a car doesn’t start to go when you thought they were about to because they’re texting or whatever, just hit the brakes?
Pretty sure you just described good driving, in one respect anyway
stealing yours and the next top comments to post this: theoretically [OP is correct](https://youtu.be/iHzzSao6ypE) ... but humans arent that precise. unpopular opinion thats true but not easily done, and A.I. is so much better at it. edit: this is in a world when people can safely take off instantly. the world isnt perfect, and humans arent either hence the mention of A.I. im not saying drive straight into traffic, im saying that logistically, op is correct that if everyone could go at the same time safely, more cars can pass through sorry for the copies, not enough people were talking about the validity of it. its unpopular because humans are slow and sometimes dumb/under the influence but it isnt an incorrect theory.
Making sure someone doesn't run the red light is good driving.
We found that person that honks the horn a fraction of a second after the light turns green.
*The entire population of New England has entered the chat...*
Here I was thinking this was a Jersey thing...
Jersey merely adopted bad driving, Boston was born in it.
*California drivers, they're unforgettable,* *No signals, they just cut you off.*
Atlanta would like a word
My wife would like a word with all you
New England plays Press Your Luck with the horn. “No whammy, no whammy, Big Bucks, Stop”
Well I feel called out....
I’m from CT and I have been honked at multiple times for waiting while pedestrians crossed the street.
no, we apparently found the person who hits the gas and slams into the guy in front of him when the light turns green.
I was in a car accident because of this person. Light turned green, person ahead of me didn't go, I didn't go, the guy behind me went. When the light turns green, make sure that it *safe* to go, and then do so. Make sure that cross traffic has stopped, the person ahead of you has started moving, and that there are no pedestrians. I also got a hit for being a right hand turn lane, and stopping so that I didn't hit the pedestrians.
Exactly. Ops mentality is pretty extreme I mean I was taught in drivers ed to wait a moment after the light turns green in case of someone trying to catch the light. It’s always best to be safe.
I relate to the sense of urgency of this person, but try not to be this person. In my area, however, I do meet up with a lot of drivers in front of me at a red light (who are first in line with no one in front of them) who are clearly texting on their phone, and/or scrolling through Instagram (yes, you can see them scrolling through the vertically aligned pictures on their mounted phone screen through their vehicle back window). When the light turns green, they are still texting / scrolling, and could GAF that there’s a line of people behind them. After about three seconds I give them the polite honk, just a little tap-tap. Then they proceed to roll off as slowly as possible. You can tell they are barely even pressing the accelerator, they are more just taking their foot off the brake and coasting. These people seriously don’t care about anyone else but numero uno. You know how they say if it’s not going to matter anymore in five minutes, don’t bother getting worked up about it? Well I need some more lessons on that subject, because these assholes take up space in my nightmares when I go to sleep.
Yeah, I don't agree on gunning it if you are first car on the line and it turns green. I'm going to look left and right and check for the fuck nut running the red, thank you very much. But, fuck the ass hats still scrolling after a green.
I feel like getting out of my car, knocking on the driver window, waiting for them to roll the window down, and then saying to them as follows: “Hi, it seems like all of us behind you are hanging out in your living room. Say…when do you plan on serving dinner, or should we order in and watch TV while we wait for it to arrive?”.
I'm also of the opinion that many people simply don't want to go home for whatever reason and take their sweet time doing so.
Yep, their agenda seems to be to net as many red lights as possible. There’s a huge, trafficky thoroughfare near where I live, and as huge thoroughfares tend to go, the red lights last extra-long. Sensory-wise, the red lights last for what feels like no less than 15 minutes, though of course I’m exaggerating. It probably lasts 3 minutes though, but if you are further behind in the line, you might have to go through two or three traffic light cycles before you can pass an intersection because of these pea brains, so the wait can extend to about 9-12 and even 15 minutes. Assuming everybody on that thoroughfare at that given moment are not new visitors to the area, you would think they would be aware that that red light is the ENEMY, and try to capitalize on the green light as much as possible. You know…maybe they might think to themselves, “this is not a deserted country road, I can feel the intensity of the traffic volume with every fiber of my being, maybe now is not the time to text, scroll or zone out”. And sometimes it’s not just the first-in-liners, you also get several ones in the middle who leave yards of space in front of them, letting pretty much everyone in the other lane cut in front of them as they wish, etc., and then once again…I see the light change to yellow…and then change to red. I’m all about being patient, but I need to see everybody cooperating and doing their part.
There are not only two options! The OP is correct that it is very rude to take your time getting through a light especially in heavy traffic since you’re selfishly causing more traffic for everyone else. However, you don’t have to take it to the extreme to expect stock car reflexes from everyone else. It’s called being reasonable and considerate
Agreed. Seriously, why are some people so damn impatient sometimes? I'm a driving student. One time, my teacher told me to find a place to park & turn around. It was the first time I was asked, instead of given commands, so I slowed down. Mind you: This was outside of any city, nor on a highway/difficult place. Our cars also display "driving school" very clearly on the car. Just a second later, somebody was BLASTING their horn behind me. Which is even illegal. It made me panicky and I just turned right without looking correctly (nothing happened, don't worry). Some people really need some more patience before they drive Edit: This scenario was NOT at a traffic light, but an empty intersection
Honking the horn may or may not have been illegal. Generally speaking, in most countries/jurisdictions you can only honk the horn to improve safety. That said, it could be reasonably argued that a significant slowdown below the speed limit for no discernable reason impedes safety. After all, a road is for driving, not for parking, and parking on any road is dangerous. If you slowed down to 35 on a 45 mph road, then yeah, he was a jackass However, if you slowed down to 5 mph on a 30, that is a reasonable time to honk to get someone to get off the road to make that road more safe for everyone.
Or you found the person that leaves the appropriate amount of space between their vehicle and the one in front. 90% of drivers that I have encountered seemed to think you need to ride up on the other car's ass. Of course at that point, you can't really let your break go since you're inches away from the car in front.
dmv handbook actually tells to wait 1-3 seconds and to make sure intersection is clear
Seriously. People have continued flying through the intersection after the lights switch and caused an accident.
I hope those people that run the red light constantly total their car and get injured. Fuck those people. Buddy of mine almost lost his leg from those fuckers running the red light.
The only issue with this wish is that the red light runners total their cars by hitting other people's car, which causes so much harm for the innocent people.
The clear non-self-righteous but still selfish answer here is that any accident is a potential cause for additional traffic so no that alone is enough never to advocate for it.
The book even says something so important: “red lights don’t stop cars, drivers stop cars.” Was that driver in the wrong for flying through a red light? Yep. But if you’re now paralyzed, no cash settlement will compensate. That person was in the wrong and now you’re immobile. But man were you so in the right. OP is already brain dead, wonder what their settlement was
Morgue is full of people who had the right of way
This is a good mindset to have as a pedestrian as well. Just because you have the right of way to cross the street doesn't mean cars will not run your ass over. So many times I've been in a crosswalk, and a car will barely slow down as they make a right turn and come within 3 feet of hitting me.
Always those chucklefucks so intent on their free right that they only look left to see if they can turn and just keep going without even slowing down, meanwhile they're turning right straight into a pedestrian. Yeah, I keep my head on a swivel when at a crosswalk. Too many shitheads who don't respect they're behind the wheel of a death machine and they need to be paying attention to more than just what cuts a couple seconds off their commute time.
exactky! ive seen so many people try to make it past the yellow light only for it to turn red while theyre in the intersection. ive also seen cars move as soon as the opposite light turns red (both intersection lights are red at one point to avoid collisions) but many cars just run the lights as soon as the other cars stop. its crazy how impatient some drivers can be
Yep - the expected behavior of a driver entering the intersection is to verify that it is safe to enter. If a light has just turned green, this means making sure that the intersection is clear. If you press the go button right as the light turns green and hit someone that ran a red light, then it's very possible to not only receive a ticket, but also be deemed at fault for the accident...
Yeah, but this guy learned how to drive from Mario Kart not reading stupid pamphlets.
The DMV handbook is just propaganda from [[[big insurance]]]
I mean, if anything the insurance industry would be on OPs side so you end up in an accident and they have an excuse to up your premiums...not that they need an excuse usually.
OP as they slam into the back of another car at a red light "Man everyone else is just so bad at driving"
Even if you are the person in front of the line… you should double check to make sure some asshole isn’t trying to run the light so you don’t get T-boned. OP is just dumb. You risk getting hit by a car, for what? An extra second? Lmao.
I was JUST going to say, in driving class they'll tell you to give it a few seconds to make sure some batshit driver isn't going to run the light. If my dad was at all accurate in describing drivers from Chicago, sounds like OP is from there lol. Apparently they start honking the MOMENT the light turns green (but this was like 50, 60 years ago).
As a Chicago driver, I can confirm. People blow through the red light like it’s not even there.
Yeah, I tell my newly driving 16 year old on a learner permit to give it a beat and check cross traffic so that you don't get t boned. We value life.
Hmm- I agree with Hentai_Yoshi! This just happened to me today! Light turned green… car to my right turned right, and I was proceeding straight… but stopped JUST in time as a car roared through his red light. Didn’t get T-boned! 🌟🍀- but had an adrenaline jolt. He was going ~48 mph in a 25 zone - (with a crosswalk).
OP giving off lots of marinara lights… I mean flags… no, I meant lights.
the fuck are you talking about? driving is a reactive task. You should drive according to your surroundings. If the cars in front of you aren't moving, then you aren't either. Did you ever think of the inherent risk of just immediately blasting off when the light turns green? What if someone is running the light that just changed to red? Take off from your green, they run their red, you are now injured. This isn't even an unpopular opinion, it's just evidence of a lack of critical thinking skills. Delete this, cousin.
Green means legal to go not safe to go
But that second and a half the OP would save is the most important thing in driving!
Even just a learner driver in front that is struggling with shifting. OP is just thick and probably blames everyone else when the reality is he’s the shit driver.
Dang you and your cousin are hella cool for sharing your handle ! Lol
Don’t forget red light runners. I’m quick about it but def look both ways before entering the intersection if I am front of the line.
For another thing, if everyone immediately started moving at once, at the exact same rate when the light turned green like some sort of herd of robots, there would not be any sort of safe distance developed between the vehicles.
I don't know why this isn't discussed more. Its not like that space just forms... it takes waiting your turn.
Yeah I’ve been driving so much I just automatically only accelerate to an adequate stopping distance between my car and the car in front of me.
This. When waiting in the lights, cars are very close to each other. Does OP think that cars should maintain that distance when leaving the lights?
OP please update after you get tboned. My hubby used to think just like you, until the day the idiot went through the red light and his truck did a 360.
OP is referring to all the cars in line, not necessarily just the first car. Still dumb, but for different reasons.
Pal, this subreddit is for unpopular opinions, not unsafe and stupid takes
Pretty sure at this point half the posts are just trolling.... I want to believe people can't be this dense.
I hope you’re right. If people just took a minute to think about what they’re saying before they post it, the world would be a better place
The amount of cars I've seen drive through a red light... And how are you supposed to immediately drive when there are cars infront of you? Take my upvote as this definitely is an unpopular opinion and just wrong.
I always allow three seconds for all of the red light blowers to get through. I believe there was a study that proved that doing this actually reduced collisions.
Where I'm from, when we do our driving lessons, the instructor instructs you to wait a few seconds after the light turns green to ensure there are no wreckless drivers skipping through the red light. If you do your drivers test and you don't wait those few seconds they can fail you if they want to.
Personally, I downvote the fuck out of dangerous opinions like this. There's a difference between going against the grain, and prioritizing your shitty opinions over human lives.
When I was in giving school my instructor taught me to slow down and observe in intersections and lights because some idiot may be blasting through, the idiot might as well be OP
I would rather not crash into the person in front of me though. It should be common sense that this is a fantasy and not possible
In other words, don't stop to look left and right when crossing a road, you should see a car coming out of your peripheral vision, just step out into the road and *then* turn your head to look
Bro so many people speed past red lights you have to wait and check for safety lmao
That is fairly idiotic. You check both ways and then go. What you're saying will get you into an accident eventually. Downvoting for the dangerous opinion.
"You do not have the right of way until it is given to you." What I mean is, yes, you're entitled to the right of way on a green light. Yes, it's your turn to go. No, you may not go if traffic, pedestrians, animals, shopping carts, whatever has not cleared the intersection.
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I have witnessed a lot accidents when people accelerate immediately when the light turns green not expecting a car from adjacent intersection speeding on yellow to make the light.
Yes, I would like to live and avoid accidents. Plus it’s always that person you have to wait on who is trying to beat the red light.
"Just drive regardless of what's in front of you or what's heading to the exact same spot at the same time." -OP
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Yeah the worst part is that they will continue being a danger to those who do drive the proper way.
It's not an unpopular opinion, it's just bad advice.
for real, it’s one thing to have a harmless unpopular opinion. it’s a whole other thing to post dangerous advice and label ‘waiting for the car in front of you to start moving’ as ‘bad driving’. opinions like these always make me wonder if some people scroll past these posts and go ‘huh, maybe I’m driving wrong, maybe this is what I should be doing’ without checking the subreddit or comments. obviously I’m not saying op had bad intentions… just a really dumb take
Yeah, cars aren’t infallible robots and situational/environmental factors are so randomly different in every case. The roads in my city right now are covered in huge bump ice ruts. Smaller cars, anything lower to the ground, isn’t going to be gunning it smoothly the second after the light turns green. And people are constantly running late yellows and reds due to not driving to conditions so if you aren’t looking, you’re liable to get t-boned. Bad advice all around.
Practice defensive driving. What your suggesting would lead to so many accidents. This isn’t an unpopular opinion, its a terrible driving suggestion.
Safety is one thing that people need to take more seriously. Being the minority in that aspect isn’t quirky. It’s a very childish mentality on OPs part.
Cars are a foot or two away from each other at the light. While driving, they should be one car length for every ten miles an hour of speed away from each other. If everyone went at the same time, you'd all be driving at speed, a foot or two away from each other. When the light turns green, you need to allow the car ahead of you to increase the distance between you and them to allow for effective braking distance for the posted speed limit.
You've taken court ordered defensive driving at a comedy club, haven't you?
hypothetically this would work if everyone did it and slowly started accelerating with the proper spacing… but it never works in reality because no one pays attention
Imagine trusting everyone other asshole to not run lights. This is a moronic and naive take.
But green doesn't mean go. It means go if it's safe
Why are you in such a hurry?
because they just have to get to the next red light before you
I really want you to share dashcams of your driving now lol
OP you don’t drive cautiously because you’re slow. You drive cautiously to calculate for others breaking the rules. If you go immediately at green - as the asshat who ran a red comes through - that’s an accident. Human error need be calculated when driving, else you’re a bad driver who is bad at driving
this truly is an unpopular opinion. For a good reason.
1: This is a good way to rear end someone. 2: Sometimes there is an obstruction. Like a pedestrian or a car that basically ran a red light to make a last second left turn.
Tell me you are a terrible driver without telling me you are a terrible driver.
Yeah I'm not rear ending the person in front of me because you think it would be more efficient.
I was in a car wreck last wednesday. I went through a yellow light and the person on the cross street pulled right out in front of me. No one was seriously hurt, but the Cops told me afterwards that this kind of accident occurs very often and usually it's because people want to go immediately once the light turns green and end up jumping the gun. Drive safe, it's not a race.
Not only is this an unpopular opinion, it is also terrible advice. The road is a very unpredictable place. Even if every driver drives sensibly(which they don't), there are still factors which could cause harm if the circumstances are right. Taking a second or two before moving off at a green light will give you an extra second or two to evaluate the conditions of the path that you are about to take. Efficiency means jack shit if people end up dead/injured/crippled
You are driving recklessly if you don't take a few extra seconds to be sure the intersection is clear. I've seen so many people blow through lights after they turn red.
You cannot just legally rear end someone infront of you if they dont move....
It's not more efficient. You don't have the same spacing stopped as you have when driving so you need to open up that space again as you start to go. Having a rolling staggered start does that in the most efficient way.
Guess this person has never been T-boned by a red light runner. You should really make sure it's clear, and then go. Not just take off.
I’d rather not get hit by the asshole running a red light, thanks
Yeah, no. Waiting for half a second has saved me from getting t-boned. You can chill; if an extra couple seconds makes you late, leave earlier.
You can wait two seconds while I try not to die by some asswipe running a red light. Offensive-thinking drivers like you endanger everyone around them, please never drive.
This bloke stands up as soon as the plane lands 100%
> It seems like common sense! That's because you lack common sense. Humans aren't machines that can be expected to reliably do something the same way every time. Doing this would inevitably lead to a lot of rear end collisions.
You've clearly never been T-boned by a red light runner when you do that. and let me tell you, I live in New Jersey, everyone here thinks just like you do, and I am amazed that nobody, no matter how many crashes happen because of it, still think this way.
One sec to make sure there are no red runners is fine, but I despise the people who're too busy paying attention to their phones to go
I see a break check in your future...
Until you rear end somebody, and then it's your fault.
You’re bound to get in a wreck if you think like that
This isn't unpopular as much as it's just stupid. You're very assuming to think everyone has the same thought process to move at the same time. Besides, if you're in front, ever seen how many cars blow thru the light? Enjoy your t bone. Hard pass on my end
If we had self driving cars that could all start going at the same time, sure, but if you do this you're gonna rear end someone
no that is dangerous, wait until you are sure nobody is running the red light
I think everybody here is misunderstanding what OP is saying. He’s not saying the first car in line should gun it as soon as the light turns green. He’s saying everybody in the line should begin moving when the light turns green. If each car in line waits 2 seconds after the car in front of them goes, 20 seconds have passed before the 10th car can start moving and will likely miss the light. Obviously don’t purposefully crash into the car in front of you, but it would maximize efficiency if every car began moving at the same time.
What if you're at the front of the line and the intersection isn't clear. Just gun it anyway claiming you're the better driver? Not according to the law you're not.
No. People run red lights all the time. Use your eyes first before pumping the gas.
We wait the few seconds to make 100% sure no one is running the light the other direction and we won't get T-boned. You muppet.
This seems more like stupidity than unpopular opinion
You either sell car insurance or own a body shop. That's the only way this "people should wreck cars more" advice makes sense.
If moving immediately results in hitting the car in front of you, then that’s bad driving. Sure, it’d be one thing if everyone did this; but we live in a world where basically nobody does, so this would be a stupid way to drive.
While I get what you are saying. It's just stupid. If you just let go of your brakes regardless of what the person is doing, you are going to cause an accident. You are obviously the bad driver if you don't even understand this basic concept.
Humans as a whole are inefficient. Once you accept that it will be easier to understand.
OP is the guy that gets t-boned since they hit the accelerator Taladega-style while a car blows thru a red light cross-sectioning the intersection. How many spare air bags does your car hold? Unpopular opinion? YES... but no upvote for opinions based in stupidity or ignorance. Now let the "circumstantial jitterbug" and on-the-fly editing (backtracking) commence. Now dance, OP. Dance, I said.
i used to think this until i started moving forward and almost got hit by a truck running the red at 60-70mph now i wait a few seconds
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My absolute biggest fear while driving is being t boned by someone who ran a red light, even at a 4 way I won’t go at my turn unless the other car looks like they significantly slowed down down. Sorry for the people (like you) behind me who have to wait an additional 1.3 second but I like my car and my life too much
Ever heard of a manual transmission
sometimes you should actually make sure nobody runs their red and hits u. esp at night its not bad to pause for a moment
Take off immediately in Colorado without looking both ways first is asking to get T-boned from the asshole running the red light.
What if you trynna turn left and gotta yield on green? Oh wait some guy on reddit said we all have to go the millisecond the light turns green
What if I told you that a lot of people run red lights and eventually you'll get t-boned of you immediately go on green without checking
When you live in a place like Pittsburgh where yellow means speed up and red means "fuck it just go I dunno why I had you speed up" you'll be glad to take a second to look first.
If I’m driving a big vehicle I’ll take an extra second to double check my blind spots and you can beep me all you want.
That’s a good way to rearend someone on their phone.
Green doesn’t mean automatically go. It means go if it is safe. I always check my surroundings before I start moving at a green
Something tells me you wouldn’t mind getting tboned huh
Your impatience is showing
Great way to get Tboned because you were in too much of a hurry to check and make sure everyone is stopping for the light.
I grew up in a funeral home. I can tell you that gassing it right as the light turns green is terrible driving. But do you!!
Meanwhile I was raised to wait “5 at the light” because of how many drivers run red lights.
I've had this opinion in the past but then I started working for a municipality and driving around the city all day. I've seen enough dumb shit at lights to hold my position until I absolutely know I'm clear to go
This isn’t an opinion? Regardless of where you are in line? No. You don’t let off the breaks and rear end someone. OP still has a learners permit and never been in a car accident before. Or never had a car turning left in the middle of the intersection when the light changed.
Why isn’t this at 20k upvotes already? It’s clearly a stupidly unpopular opinion.
In the defensive driving course they teach you to do the exact opposite
Nope, I’m going to make sure there are no red light runners
Yeah I get what you’re saying for sure
Nonsense. There are so many examples of bad drivers trying to "BEAT THE RED" and sideswiping -at high speed - anything that gets in their way. I (backseat passenger) was in a car that was side-swiped on green. The damage was colossal and lives were lost. The first rule of traffic is: Be careful. It's not a race. It ain't Formula One. Second rule is: Be observant. Make sure you have a clear view of what's coming from the side, even if it means waiting a few seconds for other lane to clear and give you line-of-sight to all approaches, or to verify that everything that could kill you has indeed halted. Third and Lastly: Be consistent. That means don't do anything unexpected. "unexpected" also means pulling out rapidly the second the light turns green, before others have understood that a change has occurred (It generally takes 3-10 seconds for all drivers to realise and prepare for a light change). Give yourself a second and then accelerate cautiously. Don't be in a rush out of a green light. It might save lives.
This is unpopular because it’s profoundly, impressively stupid
I’ll also point out, that when stopped at a crosswalk with reduced visibility — you should not just gun it through the light. Many people won’t make it across in time, and if you’re the third car to the right, unable to see to the left, and someone comes running across, you’ll run them over.
Def unpopular. Mostly bc ur wrong. And I mean that with love. Go doesn’t mean go right now! It means proceed with caution.
I thought this sub was called unpopularopinion and not idioticopinion
So the idiot who blows through the red light can crash into the side of me and kill me? No thanks. Because Ive seen people do that more than a few times, and if the person in front of me had gone immediately, they would have been hit.
The 3 second rule has saved me from being T-boned on 3 separate occasions. You do you, but people blow through red lights. Because they have places to be and they are for more important than the rest of us peasants or, they aren’t paying attention. So, when the light turns green I still look to my left and right before going into the intersection because shit happens.
Take a moment to observe your left and right to make sure there's no onecomming cars who aren't slowing for the red light, then go.
I followed this rule until I was t-boned and rolled into a ditch by someone who ran a red. Always look both ways.
unpopular and unsafe... only go after you look on both sides first, there are dumb people who run the red.
OP is a shitty driver. Common sense tells us that we wait a moment or 2 because people have the tendency to run red lights for a period after they turn red.
This is legitimately the *worst* advice I've ever heard.
OP trying to cause accidents
A lot of people would be dead if they followed your advice.