Conventional Traffic Lights i.e. Not Filtered

This post concerns conventional traffic light controlled junctions. I will cover filtered traffic light junction in the next post.

When turning right at most traffic light junctions, you need to position the car waiting to turn right. This can sometimes be difficult to judge, here are a few tips that will help you decide.

Right Turn Only

As you approach the above crossroad, it is fairly clear that the right lane is right turn only. On modern roads this is the most common arrangement, but beware of (generally) older ones where the right lane can also proceed ahead (see below). Also the current convention is to pass passenger side to passenger side, look out for arrows which indicate the opposite (again generally older designed junctions). I learned to drive in the early seventies and the convention was to pass driver's side to driver's side. This is safer since you can see better, but less efficient and to be honest I can't really remember it changing.

So considering this image, when the light is green and you have on-coming traffic - where do you wait? Well the first decision is whether to cross the white STOP line. If I were driving the first vehicle then I'd move forward on green (unless something very unusual is happening). However if I were the second or subsequent vehicle, I would only cross the line if I was sure that I could get the back of my car beyond the pedestrian part of the crossing - see next image.

This is to make sure that I am caught is a bad spot when the lights change. As the lead vehicle progresses further into the junction, you may find that there is enough room to move forward. So where do we wait, even I am impatient :-)

The exact position will vary from crossroad to crossroad but here's my simple rule. I will not go too far forward in case I block someone turning right from opposite and I will not go too far right so I don't make on-going traffic drive around me.

This picture demonstrates this fairly well. The blue car is blocking the lane that the white van is in, but it has to turn right - so fine. The blue car could go a couple of feet further right but not too far - remember you can always creep further forward (but NOT back). The white car is just crossing the pedestrian studs, so that looks fine. But the car that has Google's camera should wait here for now

Right Hand Lane can go ahead as well as right

So remembering that some right hand lanes can go ahead, as well as right - the wait position would not be so far right (so you don't block on-going traffic). But everything else would be the same as the above example.

Very often you can't see the opposite road's arrows (blocked by cars or elevation change). In my experience, if your right lane is right turn only then the one opposite is the same. But as ever with driving, proceed with caution and look for the evidence.

Next post I will have a look at filtered traffic light junctions and if anyone wants to take an intensive course in Leicester or Redditch just click one of the links.

What is the speed limit? Part Three

This last section on speed limits concerns that national speed limit, there are actually two. The first national speed limit is 30 mph in a built up area, but it is the second one that I want to explain here.

The first thing to notice about the national limit sign, shown below, is that there is no number on the sign. Also you will see this sign on a variety of different roads, from fast dual carriageways to narrow country lanes. This national speed limit demands a different limit for different vehicles, even a car that tows a caravan will need to observe a lower limit. 
When I see this sign, I think it means use your "common sense". The theoretical limit for a car on the road below is 60 mph, but that would be crazy on this narrow lane - 25 mph maybe too fast. As always you need to drive to the conditions that are apparent. Most of my pupils are very surprised when they enter a road like this one and see this sign. They assume that since they are encouraged to drive reasonably close to other speed limits that I would expect the same here. So I explain that if the county and borough councils had to specify exact speed limits for every road, the cost would be prohibitive. This is because most of the roads in the UK are national, but most of the roads that we regularly drive on are signed up with specific limits. The cost of mounting signs on all of these type of roads would be enormous. Each would need a lamp, therefore an electricity supply, someone would need to maintain them, replace bulbs, clean them etc.

When you join a national speed limit dual carriageway, you should try to get up to about 60 mph (as long as the traffic will allow this. This is so that heavy goods vehicles (which are speed limited) will not catch up and overtake you. If you are driving 50 mph on a clear road, the truck driver will be "forced" to overtake you. The truck will take a while to do this since it is limited to 56 mph (probably), and both lanes of a fast dual carriageway will be blocked (not a good idea).

If you know anyone that wants to learn to drive in Leicester, click the link - same goes for Burton-on-Trent.

What is the speed limit? Part Two

There are some roads that I find the speed limits difficult to understand, here are a couple of examples.

This is Cricket Lane in Lichfield; there are houses on the left, close to the road and yet the speed limit is 40 mph (at least there are a few repeaters to remind you).

The above picture is Cappers Lane, also in Lichfield and the limit is 30 mph. it really doesn't look like it and two things are true. Most of the traffic on this road will be exceeding that limit and people fail their driving tests every day on this stretch of road. So use the tips from Part One to help work out the limit; a driving test examiner will be quite forgiving if you drive a little below the limit for a short period (while you work it out).

Finally look at the 2 signs below, both show that speed cameras may be around (fixed or mobile). I can't see the point of the one on the right, the one on the left shows the camera sign AND the speed limit - much more informative.

If you are looking for driving lessons in Leicester or an intensive course, why not click on one of the links

Keeping a bubble of safety around your new (or old) car

Here a few tips to keep you safe before and after you pass.

When travelling in traffic & you need to stop, try to maintain a gap of around 1.5 meters to the vehicle in front. Measure this easily by checking that you can just see the tyres of the vehicle ahead touching the tarmac (road). Why why why - try the car in front breaks down & if you are too close, how would you steer around? It could also roll back - who hasn't done that? If an emergency vehicle wants to come between traffic, it will be easier to go left or right if you leave a gap - could save a life or ....

In dry weather use the 2 second rule; by watching the vehicle ahead pass a stationary object (tree, sign, bridge) and then saying "Only a fool breaks the 2 second rule". If you get to the stationary object before you finish that phrase, then you are following too close. It takes 2 second to say that and if the road condition is poor e.g. wet or loose surface then double that time i.e. say it twice.



Let's say you overtake a slower vehicle on a dual carriageway, how soon should you pull over in front of it? Well you really want to leave a 2 second gap again; but how to measure that? The easiest way is to carry on until you see BOTH headlight come into you internal mirror - works every time.


Drive safely and take care especially just after you pass.

Signals to other road users

The Highway Code states that signals are used to warn and inform other road users of our intentions. How many signals can you think of and how often are they used? Most people would say, indicators, brake lights, reversing lights, hazard warning lights - then err err can't remember. Anyway for what it is worth there are 8 and I believe this is the correct ranking based on usage.

1. Car position i.e. parked or holding back; positioned to turn right/left; lane discipline on roundabout, dual carriageway etc.
2. Brake lights
3. Indicators
4. Reversing lights
5. Headlight flash
6. Hazard warning lights
7. Horn
8. Arm signals

So if you think about it we are continuously giving at least one signal at all times, even if we are simply driving down a straight road with no intention of turning off. The car position is an intuitive signal straight from the driver's subconscious.

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Today's Tip For Eco Friendly Driving

Air conditioning increases fuel consumption by around 10%, so it is usually more cost effective to open a window. However, at higher speeds of 50mph or above, the additional drag caused by having a window open begins to approach the cost of the aircon.

Watch out for more tips soon and don't forget to check out the websites for special offers.

Daily Tips For Eco Friendly Driving

Smooth driving at a sensible speed is the best way to keep emissions and expenditure to a minimum. Generally speaking, petrol is consumed quicker at low and high speeds, with 50 to 60mph usually being the most fuel-efficient speeds. So, try to plan your route and timing to avoid traffic jams, and remember also that driving over 70mph, as well as being against the law, dramatically increases emissions and consumption. Even driving at 70mph can cost up to 25% more than driving at 50mph. Remember too that both fast acceleration and heavy braking use more fuel.
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