[anainar]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

If you see amber you should be prepared to stop, unless you will cross the stop line without a drastic manoeuvre (i.e stamping on the brake). You should never be in neutral except when changing gears, or (maybe) stopped.

+1.. Amber is for vehicles to prepare to stop safely. If you are at a speed where stopping is more dangerous than zipping through, it is better to zip through. Remember, when your light is amber, the rest of the traffic lights will still be red and they are not supposed to move. I did the same thing even when I was taking a driving test in the US and it was not considered negative.

So, you are the best judge given the situation,road condition,what speed you are at, how far you are from the STOP line and who is behind you before you make a decision.

Nainar

[Gansan]

Many of the signals at Chennai usually display a count down timer near the light, so if one is very near the signal just when it turns amber, one can be sure it will last for 5 seconds and plan accordingly. I am sure I have seen this at Bangalore too.

[sj_koova]

I look around for cops before I decide on jumping.
Also depends on the traffic situation. On major junctions, I plan to spot after watching through rear view mirrors.

[sriku]

I personally feel that drivers leading the "platoon" of vehicles approaching a signal need to be that bit more responsible, and respect the amber warning. When I am leading the platoon to an amber light, its my responsibility to slow down, signal that I am slowing down for the light, stop before the line and resume only after the green. Even on the bike, I usually tap my rear brake several times to flicker the brake lights(I have a powerful brake light bulb, by choice), hopefully catching the attention of the motorist behind.

This added responsibility is usually not welcome on our roads, but should be encouraged rather than be rejected as the current case we are talking about. Cabbies are incorrigible, in any case, and their rants bear no importance in the grand scheme of things. Its the bigger vehicles that I am more worried about. Being a Bolero driver, I usually manage to have my say on the whole- see amber-slow down-signal and stop -situation. When on my bike or a smaller car on the other hand, it gets difficult sometimes.

Cheers,
Sriku

[Blur]

Here in Mumbai, we are pretty lucky.

The signals got timers. So you know just how many seconds you got to sneak through.

Oh, but you got to watch out for these "Hollow (read, think they are invisible) Vehicles" that start rolling even while you are still in the green

[DriverR]

Whether to cross or stop depends on how urgent it is to reach where I'm going. But whatever the situation, I don't try to cross if I know it would turn red before I reach midway of the crossing point. Have been challaned once for that and have never repeated it again.

[@400Kph]

I would cross the road only if i see the amber light coming up as i was nearing the junction , since it would have been too late.But if i feel that it has already been amber for 2 to 3 seconds , i woudnt dare to cross it since i know in bangalore , motorists from other side start moving even before it is green

[vivekiny2k]

amber means slow down and then decide whether u can pass. at times i speed up if I am really close, but normally i play it safe and stop.

the addition of countdown timers is very dangerous I think, It can give some a false sense of calculation, not to mention taking the attention away from the already complicated process of driving at the crowded junction.

[lordofgondor]

For me it depends if I am in a hurry or not, which I usually ain't. If not in a hurry, I usually stop unless I am already at the signal. If in a hurry, then based on traffic movement from other sides and distance from signal.

Regarding those pests, read impatient red light jumpers, I don't care a bit about their actions, hence don't react. Though I have experienced that a smile can do wonders.

[beejay]

I would definitely slow down on seeing amber. That's the right thing to do. Right.

[n.devdath]

I look in my rear view mirror to see if I have someone in a hurry to get past the light, if yes, I pull over to the left and slow down and let all those pass who intend to and only cross the signal if it is still at amber when I hit it.

[aqualeo2040]

I generally follow a simple rule. Unless I have to stomp on the brakes and test my ABS, I slow down and stop for an amber,simultaneously indicating with hand-signal(my AC is off most of the time).
My biggest fear about braking is that although my car might have good brakes, the person behind me might not!
Only if i am a car length from the stop line and the light goes amber, I do not stop.
If anyone honks, i just give the indian hand signal for "Kya" (what??). That deters them all.

[mjothi]

For me it purely depends on the vehicle behind me. If its a BMTC / Truck, chances that I will not stop and try to cover the stretch. Else. Slow and stop.

[prince_pervez]

Depends, if there is a moron behind me who will mow me down just because he hasn't got the time and patience, then, I will go ahead with the pack. Else abide.

I seems very sweet on paper to stop, but, its a totally different scenario in the thick of things.

[amitoj]

Quite simple actually. If, when it turns amber, i have enough room to steadily and safely decelerate to a stop by the time i reach the white line, i stop. If i dont have enough room to do that, then i cross. But i make that decision as soon as i see amber and indicate it to the rest of the world by putting my hand out as well, if i have decided to stop.

EDIT: just saw that this is what shan2nu, sgiitk, anainar and few others also said. so, +1 to all you guys.