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'Wasn't safe to stop': Amber light crash has internet divided over who's at fault

Separate corners have been taken by the dashcam-loving drivers of Australia in the argument about what you should actually do at an amber light.

In a post called 'Yellow means stop', a moderator of the Dash Cam Owners Australia Facebook page has posted a video dividing the internet over who was at fault.

The footage shows a group of cars turning right on a green arrow at an intersection on the Great Western Highway.

Drivers are moving along through a green arrow on the Great Western Highway. Source: Facebook/Dash Cam Owners Australia
Drivers are moving along through a green arrow on the Great Western Highway. Source: Facebook/Dash Cam Owners Australia

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A split-second after the light turns amber, a black Echo stops suddenly, causing the driver in the white ute behind - who clearly intended to keep going - to screech on the brakes and crash into the back of the Echo, nudging it forward across the stop lines.

Should the first car have stopped so abruptly? Or was the driver behind in the wrong for wanting to go through an amber light?

It's a question that got the dash cam lovers talking - the post has been viewed 48,000 times, with almost 350 commentators arguing it out.

The black Echo pulls up just as the light turns amber. Source: Facebook: Dash Cam Owners Australia
The black Echo pulls up just as the light turns amber. Source: Facebook: Dash Cam Owners Australia

"Best thing to do is to look in your rear view mirror BEFORE you brake!," one person writes. "I was taught that and have never been rear ended at a set of lights."

But others disagreed. "At the speed they are travelling it is safe to stop at the amber light like that car did," one person wrote.

"You should never assume that you will be able to floor it and make it, and also never assume the car in front will not stop.

"It is totally the following car's fault."

"Black car did nothing wrong," another agreed. "Ute should not have assumed black car was going to travel on through. Brake lights were already on the black car."

The driver of the white ute had clearly been intending to zoom through the amber light. Source: Facebook/Dash Cam Owners Australia
The driver of the white ute had clearly been intending to zoom through the amber light. Source: Facebook/Dash Cam Owners Australia

Many viewers pointed out that a silver car ahead of the two cars had taken its time going across the intersection, possibly triggering the accident it left in its wake.

"Silver car to blame for not paying attention and costing another few cars getting through, does my head in," one Facebook user said.

Others argued over the meaning of an amber light and what it does and doesn't allow drivers to do.

"Yellow means stop if safe to do so," one person said. "The ute was clearly way too close so the Echo should really have kept going since a glance in the rear view would have made it clear old mate wasn't going to stop."

There's no clear winner in the debate, but one aspect of the run-in seemed to be universally agreed on - the coolness of the ute driver's passenger.

"I love the passenger, didn't even flinch her arm," one observer notes.

"Like, 'oh yeah, we run up the a** of cars every day, oh well'."