Should Drivers Respond To A Green Light In Three Seconds?
New research has revealed that most drivers become irritated should a driver fail to respond to a green light within three seconds…
Green Traffic Lights
New research, conducted by the RAC, suggests that drivers lose their patience if people fail to respond to a green light within three seconds. This is particularly the case if those waiting are aged below 44 years. The motoring organisation surveyed 2,498 drivers to explore their views concerning traffic lights. Some 46% of the respondents felt that motorists should respond to a green light in three seconds. A further 35% said that anything between four and six seconds was reasonable. A particularly chilled 7% said any amount of time is acceptable.
Some 46% of the surveyed drivers said they felt ‘annoyed’ when people took too long to move at a green light. That said, 54% said that it didn’t bother them. The RAC did note, however, that 44% of the respondents claim to have spent 15 seconds or more waiting for a vehicle to respond to a traffic light change; more than enough time for them to change back to red. Generally speaking, men seem to be less patient than women and younger drivers are more likely to lose their patience than their older counterparts.
‘A Short Time’
Simon Williams, a spokesman for the RAC, commented on the research. He said, “while three seconds is obviously a very short time, anything longer than this can start to seem like an eternity when you desperately want to get through a set of traffic lights and the person in front is taking forever to get going. When you think that some lights only stay green for 15 seconds, this severely limits the number of vehicles that can get through before red comes up again, and this in turn makes jams – and potentially even air pollution – worse”.
William’s also noted that taking too long to respond to a green light may have safety implications. He said, “the fact this is such a common issue means that too many drivers – for whatever reasons – clearly aren’t paying enough attention to what’s going around them when they’re stationary at traffic lights. As well as increasing journey times, this could have a road safety implication – particularly when people suddenly realise the lights have changed and then hurriedly pull away without properly checking their mirrors and making sure everything is clear around them”.
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