'Amber gamblers' create road risk

Sarah Tawton

Up to 85 per cent of motorists drive dangerously by trying to race through amber traffic lights, a survey has revealed.

As many as 16 per cent of drivers regard amber as a green light, while 40 per cent said they rarely stop if the lights are on amber and about to turn red.

Some 13 per cent of "amber gamblers" admit they had been involved in an accident or a near miss after driving through an amber signal.

Meanwhile, half had been shouted at by their passengers and more than a quarter had been sworn at or hooted by other road users.

More than a third of drivers do not realise that it is an offence to drive through an amber signal which is about to turn red.

Around 88 per cent of 17-year-old drivers have driven through amber lights, according to the survey by the Thrifty Car & Van Rental company.

The poll of 3,000 motorists suggests that drivers in Chelmsford in Essex are the most likely to drive through amber lights, while the practice is also common in Leeds, Coventry, Liverpool and Brighton.

A third of amber gamblers said they do not have time to stop, while more than a quarter per cent said they are often in a rush to get to work.

But 7 per cent believed that speeding through amber lights is considerate to other drivers.