''Amber Gambler'' is a
metaphor
A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide (or obscure) clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are often compared wi ...
ical phrase and the title of a
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
public information film
Public information films (PIFs) are a series of government-commissioned short films, shown during television advertising breaks in the United Kingdom. The name is sometimes also applied, ''faute de mieux'', to similar films from other countries, ...
(PIF) from the 1970s, about the dangers of speeding through
traffic light
Traffic lights, traffic signals, or stoplights – known also as robots in South Africa are signalling devices positioned at road intersections, pedestrian crossings, and other locations in order to control flows of traffic.
Traffic light ...
s before the amber changes to red "when there is ample time to stop",
or in advance of it turning to green.
The ''Amber Gambler Twins'' is one of many public interest films trying to change the public's behavior.
It tries to induce a reflective moment leading to an "I see"
epiphany
Epiphany may refer to:
* Epiphany (feeling), an experience of sudden and striking insight
Religion
* Epiphany (holiday), a Christian holiday celebrating the revelation of God the Son as a human being in Jesus Christ
** Epiphany season, or Epiph ...
.
Plot
As a voice-over narrates, a man is seen driving and ignoring amber
traffic light
Traffic lights, traffic signals, or stoplights – known also as robots in South Africa are signalling devices positioned at road intersections, pedestrian crossings, and other locations in order to control flows of traffic.
Traffic light ...
signals, until the odds catch up with him and he strikes another "amber gambler". In getting out of his car to confront the other driver, the camera pulls back to reveal that the other person is himself.
The phrase has been popularly used to succinctly describe high risk driving behaviors that enhance the likelihood of automobile collisions, damage, injury and death.
It characterizes amber gambling as racing through amber lights at one end of the cycle or the other.
Other uses
In the early 1990s, the term became popular with
ufologists
This is a list of notable people who are Ufology, ufologists (UFO researchers).
Argentina
* Juan Posadas, (1912–1981), Trotskyist theorist who blended together Trotskyism and Ufology. Posadas' version of Trotskyism is regarded as its ...
in describing mysterious orange lights sighted around
crop circle
A crop circle, crop formation, or corn circle is a pattern created by flattening a crop, usually a cereal. The term was first coined in the early 1980s by Colin Andrews. Crop circles have been described as all falling "within the range of the ...
sites.
The term was used during the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
to refer to holidaymakers arranging travel to restricted destinations in the hope that the restrictions were lifted before or during their holiday.
See also
*
Red light running
Traffic lights, traffic signals, or stoplights – known also as robots in South Africa are signalling devices positioned at road intersections, pedestrian crossings, and other locations in order to control flows of traffic.
Traffic lights ...
*
Driving without due care and attention Driving without due care and attention or careless driving is a legal term for a particular type of moving traffic violation in the United States, Canada (at least in Ontario), the United Kingdom, and Ireland. It is often punishable by fines or endo ...
References
External links
{{Wiktionary, amber gambler
''Amber Gambler Twins''40-second safety commercial from 1977
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
Public information films
1970s educational films
1970 films
British educational films