Drivers see red when others take more than three seconds to pull away on green
An RAC poll of 2,498 drivers indicated that 46% think it should take no more than three seconds to get going when traffic lights turn green.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Taking longer than three seconds to move off when traffic lights turn green is likely to frustrate drivers waiting behind, a new survey suggests.
An RAC poll of 2,498 drivers indicated that 46% think it should take no longer than that to get going when the lights change.
The motoring organisation expressed concern over the impact on road safety, traffic jams and air pollution from drivers being too slow to react.
Some 17% of respondents to the survey said they regularly fail to get through lights due to the inaction of drivers in front.
Nearly two-thirds (64%) claim to have been left waiting on green for more than 10 seconds.
Men are generally more likely than women to be irritated by drivers who are slow to start moving (50% compared with 41%), the survey suggested.
Motorists from Yorkshire and the Humber region are the most impatient, with 55% saying they get annoyed by the time it takes others to pull away.
Drivers in Wales are the most tolerant, with just 34% frustrated.
Around a third (35%) of respondents said between four and six seconds to move off is reasonable, while a relaxed 7% are prepared for other drivers to take as long as they like.
RAC spokesman Simon Williams said anything longer than three seconds “can start to seem like an eternity when you desperately want to get through a set of traffic lights”, particularly as some only stay green for 15 seconds.
He went on: “This severely limits the number of vehicles that can get through before red comes up again, and in turn makes jams – and potentially even air pollution – worse.
“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.” Mr Williams added.
“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.
“More drivers need to pay attention to the lights and not use the time to daydream or worse to check their handheld phones illegally.”
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.