Motoring experts have shared their advice on what to do if traffic lights fail or freeze.
While it can sometimes feel like you've been sat behind a red light forever, more often than not it simply comes down to impatience and not a fault in the system.
That being said, on the rare occasion traffic lights do break or freeze, the motoring experts say it's important to know what to do.
Motoring experts from LeaseCar.uk have advised drivers to be considerate and use their common sense if this happens.
Tim Alcock from LeaseCar.uk said: "First and foremost, you should make sure you’ve left plenty of time for the lights to change from red to amber, and you’re not just being impatient.
"Then, it mostly just comes down to common sense.
"If you've been sitting there for a good few minutes and it’s fairly obvious the lights aren’t going to change any time soon, you’ll have to make sure it’s safe to proceed.
"We’d recommend waiting around four minutes before opting to move forward.
"You should be able to see ahead of you quite clearly and ideally you’ll be able to see the other set of lights, or the back of them. Then try winding your window down a bit to try and hear if there are any vehicles moving in your vicinity.
"At this point it’d be a good idea to put your lights on – even if it’s broad daylight – and very cautiously start edging forward."
Tim continued: "This can get a bit complicated if you’re at a T-junction for example, in which case it’d probably be best to treat the situation as you would an unmarked junction or crossroads, where nobody has priority over another.
"In this scenario, it’s the responsibility of every driver to approach with caution and cross safely whilst being considerate."
It's also important to report the faulty lights.
Tim advised on how to do this, he explained: "When safe to do so, it’s always a good idea to report a broken or faulty traffic light – permanent or temporary – to the local authority.
"You can do this online on the Gov.uk website or go straight to your borough council’s website.
"A traffic light ID number can usually be found on a sticker or painted on the column too, which will help the authorities accurately locate the problem light."
