Red lights (2 Viewers)

[Baiku]

I have a theory that if the light turns red when you're half way through the intersection, you -probably- could have stopped. I'm not sure how often this would be the case though, since I've never really driven much in a city environment.

The lights do change based on calculations of stopping time - on a road where the speed limit is 80/100 you can tell that the orange light lasts a lot longer.

Driving an 'ordinary car' your presumption is quite correct, unless you are right before the line you can usually stop. The lights accomodate trucks and vehicles that take a lot longer to stop.

As mentioned, failing to stop for at an amber light is a traffic offence and you can be fined for it (would be rare though).
The law is something along the lines of 'stop unless it is unsafe to do so'.