Crime Watch - Proper use of traffic lights

The fundamental rule in driving when closer to traffic lights, or when you are in a wide main road,  is to keep your speed down to a level which allows you to stop within the range of your vision, even if this means travelling at only 10 miles per hour.

Taking from this perspective, it is very easy to think that a vehicle ahead of you is moving too slowly when it getting or moving closer to the traffic lights. But remember that why you can see virtually nothing of the traffic lights at a far distant, but the vehicle ahead of you may be or will be able to see the beacons of the traffic lights.

Moreover, you can also be misled sometime about visibility since  a vehicle ahead of you might not adhered to the traffic lights signs. You may feel that its trying to overlap or speed off at the sight of the hummer light - yellow light, is allowed and probably joined and this will awake a congestion and traffic blocked because the hummer lights is a warning light signal that does not last more than few seconds. Therefore, you will only to find, when you are committed to overtake or speed off. So manoeuvre cause hectic traffic jam.

According to Inspector Sulayman Secka, the Police PRO, “in traffic lights, there are three lights for the drivers to follow. Red light means that you as a driver of a vehicle to stop for few minutes. When the hummer light popularly known in the Gambia as yellow light comes on, it is reminding the drive to standby and get prepare. While the green light is telling you to move or keep driving,” he explained.

Furthermore, once you are in front you may feel under pressure to justify your manoeuvre of the yellow light by driving too fast to avoid being stopped which is why sometime drivers experienced minor and fatal accident. In that case, Inspector Secka noted, “It is very much better to keep to the rules.” Therefore it is wise to be in line, do not be tempted to stay in touch with the tail lights of a driver whose speed seems too fast for safety.

As a reminder, it is an offence for any driver to stop between two beacons or poles of the traffic lights to carry passengers as we always sees at Bufffa Zone, Cow Junction and Churchill’s Town traffic lights. Equally, it is an offence for a driver or drivers to pack very closer to a curve, corner or every turning point and as well to the traffic lights in the highways.

Driver or drivers caught in this acts can be charged for an obstruction of traffic float within the highway. Reference to section 55 sub-section c of the Motor Traffic Regulation (MTR), which states “no vehicle shall be stopped within a distance of 7.5 meters of any corner or curve in the city of Banjul or within a distant of 15 meters of any corner or curve outside Banjul.” Therefore, “any one that fall victim of this will be charged and taken to court for breach of the section rules,” Inspector Secka warned.

Roads are getting more congested mostly at the traffic picking-hour because of the impatience of the drivers. Over speed always cause accident. In addition it is a duty of passengers to check-down their driver when they are over speeding and impatience on the road. As a passenger, if your driver is over speed, write down the vehicle number and take it to the police. As an eye witness, you need to testify at the court of law about the driver’s reckless driving without of what you had witnessed, if not the driver will score free hence police is not there during the course of his over speeding.

“Driving is done with common sense and most important you must have courtesy. If everyone can obey traffic lights, signboards (traffic beacons) and road marks, accident will be drastically reduced on the roads,” Inspector Secka concluded.