Warning after dashcam footage captures drivers ignoring red lights at some of Bradford's busiest junctions

Footage of numerous illegal manoeuvres has been sent to the Telegraph & Argus as part of our Stop the Danger Drivers campaign, and to West Yorkshire Police as evidence in support of Operation Steerside, the district-wide road safety initiative.

Drivers ignoring red lights have been warned they are putting themselves and others at “terrible risk” without a “reset button” to rectify the potentially fatal consequences.

In one clip captured on dashcam footage, a driver leaving the Forster Square Retail Park in Bradford slowly approaches the traffic lights at the junction of Valley Road and Hamm Strasse.

With the light on red and traffic about to move forward in the opposite direction, a Volkswagen Golf speeds through the signal and across the junction.

The driver who captured the incident said: “I stopped but some driver in the Golf showed no regard for the red lights and sped straight through them, putting other road-users at risk.”

In another video, captured at a set of traffic lights in Manchester Road heading up towards Mayo Avenue, the driver of a white Vauxhall passes through a red light seven seconds after the light has changed, just before traffic enters the road from another junction.

Other videos show drivers ignoring red lights to avoid and cut in front of traffic at major junctions and roundabouts on Thornton Road, Shipley Airedale Road, and Otley Road.

Jason Wakeford, director of campaigns for Brake, the road safety charity, said: “Running red lights can easily result in a crash and needless loss of life or serious injury.

“It is shocking to see such a blatant disregard for the rules of the road, which exist to keep us all safe.

“We urge all drivers to take their responsibility to protect others when behind the wheel seriously and to obey traffic lights at all times.

“We’d also urge the police to investigate the drivers filmed in these clips and bring them to justice.”

Operation Steerside was established in February last year to crack down on illegal and dangerous driving across Bradford city centre and beyond.

To date, 10,801 drivers have been caught, with 923 vehicles seized.

Sergeant Cameron Buchan, the officer leading the initiative, said ignoring red lights was “selfish and stupid”.

He said: “Going through a red light on its own may not amount to dangerous driving, but generally, it is inherently dangerous. Other people have the right of way, and they expect to be able to go through a junction unscathed.

“Drivers are expected to anticipate some hazards, but that doesn’t include someone who has ignored a light rocketing towards you.

“A significant proportion of collisions attended by police involve someone ignoring a red light, the statistics would show that.

“When you see it, it’s what I’d call a cringe moment, you worry what will happen next. If they get away with it, it’s a phew moment, and it is only by the grace of god.

“People might gain a few seconds, but they are putting themselves and others at terrible risk.

“When you see it happen in movies, there is always a dirty great truck coming in the other direction, and that can be the reality.

“I don’t know what the motivation is, whether it is they think they are better than other drivers or the lights don’t matter to them. Whatever the argument for it is, no excuse is good enough.”

Sgt Buchan said despite emergency services being legally allowed to pass through red lights, those behind the wheel only did so with extreme caution.

He said: “Police have exemptions to red lights, but even we crawl through junctions. The rules behind it are important, and they have to be followed due to the inherent dangers.

“When people ignore red lights, innocent motorists can be caught in the middle purely by someone’s selfishness and stupidity. If that happens, you can’t just press a reset button. Lives can be lost, or people can be affected by the consequences for the rest of their lives.”