Traffic Light Offences
It is an offence to fail to comply with certain traffic signs which indicate a prohibition, requirement or restriction. These can include No Entry, Give Way, Keep Left and Traffic Lights.
The penalty is up to £1,000 and 3 penalty points
You may receive a fixed penalty notice which would result in a £100 fine and 3 points should you accept it.
However, if the lights have been on red for a few seconds it is likely that the matter will be taken to court. If this happens it is often still possible to get an equivalent of the fixed penalty level in fine and costs if you write to the court to mitigate your sentence.
It is important that you take some action within the time limit indicated on the fixed penalty ticket or it could be a very unnecessary expense. You should have a minimum of 21 days to respond, the guidelines indicate that police forces should give you 28 days so you will have time to contact an expert in Road Traffic Offence for the best way forward with your case.
If you run a red light at a busy junction and cause an accident you could face offences of careless driving or dangerous driving which carry much heavier penalties.
However, there are possible defences if you can show
- You were not the driver
- The light was not red/amber
You may also have a special reasons argument which although it is not a defence would enable you to avoid an endorsement or potential disqualification if were “totting up” as a result of the offence.