Traffic Lights

Running a Red – The Law and Your Defence

It is an offence to drive through a red light.  It’s also an offence to drive through an amber light, unless it’s not safe to do so.

The police will either offer you a Fixed Penalty Ticket at the roadside, or you may be sent a Fixed Penalty Notice to your home address..

For running a red at traffic lights, you may be given the chance to pay a £100 fine and take 3 penalty points on your licence without going to court. It is open to you to accept this or to contest the matter in court.

If you already have 9 points or more on your licence, you won’t have the option of a fixed penalty. Instead, you will be prosecuted in court. If you are convicted, the court will put 3 points on your licence and you will be totted up and banned.  The fine can be up to £1000 but it would normally be considerably less than this. There are two types of prosecution regarding Traffic Lights.  The most common follow from two police officers observing what they consider to be a violation of the Traffic Signals rules.  Other Traffic Light cases arise from the operation of traffic cameras at junctions.

However clear the case seems to be, it is worth getting a driving law specialist to scrutinize the evidence against you. Without the right evidence, there can be no conviction.

Do you need legal advice? Call 01387 640415

Running a red light is an offence under section 36 of the Road Traffic Act 1988.