What happens now... Red light offence TS10...

LiveAndLetGo

Hi! Letter says I drove through an amber light at an automatic red light camera. Less than 3 secs through. I didn’t want to speed and it was too late to stop but it was amber when I went through! It’s my first ever driving penalty and I was otherwise squeaky clean. I’m male 26 years old, and it happened in West Yorkshire. What’s going to happen to me?
1. What’s the chance that I will be referred for a driver education scheme in West Yorkshire, hence avoiding penalties/points?
2. How will this impact my car insurance and how should I mitigate this?
3. How many years am I penalised for?
4. Will this impact my employability? I’m just about to apply for jobs - will I have to declare in my forms and will they reject me because of it? I’m seeking a professional job.
5. I’d like to live overseas one day - will this impact citizenship applications?
6. Who do I go to for advice? A lawyer?
7. Did this affect anyone badly 🥺 in any way?
Worried. Please help.

Car_54

1. Probably high.
2. Depends on the company. Only way to mitigate it is by shopping around.
3. Insurers normally ask for offences within last five years.
4. Not at all, unless you’re applying for a driving job.
5. Unlikely to have any effect at all.
6. Post on pepipoo.com before you spend money on solicitors. The most likely outcome will be the offer of a course, or, failing that, a fixed penalty. This offence is at lowest level of criminality: you’re worrying unnecessarily.

d123

LiveAndLetGo wrote: »

Hi! Letter says I drove through an amber light at an automatic red light camera. Less than 3 secs through.

I presume you actually mean a red light?

LiveAndLetGo

It turned red at the same time I was crossing. I didn’t realise I qualified for a fine until the letter came in the mail this week.

facade

LiveAndLetGo wrote: »

It turned red at the same time I was crossing. I didn’t realise I qualified for a fine until the letter came in the mail this week.

If any part of your vehicle moves across the line (including the towball) when the light is red, it is an offence.


It is actually an offence to cross it on amber, but there is the statutory defence of "unsafe to stop" for amber, not red.


I assume that long slow moving lorries just stop dead on amber, and block the junction until the lights go green and they can start off again.

d123

LiveAndLetGo wrote: »

It turned red at the same time I was crossing. I didn’t realise I qualified for a fine until the letter came in the mail this week.

Unlikely, as the camera doesn’t arm for somewhere between 0.5 and 2 seconds after the red light illuminates.

The light would have had to have been red before you crossed the stop line (and the amber light is on for 3 seconds). You’re also supposed to stop on amber (even though the camera is not active) so you had between 3.5 and 5 seconds to stop.

Just pay the fine and accept the points, they won’t interfere with any emigration process.

LiveAndLetGo

Thanks for your advice. I hope that it turns out to be a driver education course. Failing that, it seems like a minor traffic offence is not life altering unless you accrue many of them.

JackeeBoy

3 seconds is a long time. Most lights on motorway roundabouts change near instantly after one goes red so lucky you were likely not in that situation.

I have to admit that I have gone through red lights as or literally just after the light turned and have never got a ticket. You must have been very late.

System

LiveAndLetGo wrote: »

Thanks for your advice. I hope that it turns out to be a driver education course. Failing that, it seems like a minor traffic offence is not life altering unless you accrue many of them.

It isn't something minor. I can think of several sets of traffic lights at roundabouts off the top of my head where as soon as one turns red the other flicks to red/amber within a second and those at the stop line are racing off.

Arklight

It's all fun and games amber gambling until the points start rolling in.

Norman_Castle

LiveAndLetGo wrote: »

It turned red at the same time I was crossing.

So will you continue to ignore the amber light?