caught going through red light

[leonvectrac]

Well after 5 years of driving and not having a speeding ticket etc, i have been caught going through a red light and not on perpose i may add. Its my girlfriends car i have been caught in and she has only just recived the letter today and there is no photo evidence at the minute but i think ther will be. Like i said i didnit perposely drive through the red light or try and speed up to get through. I was caught at 24mph and i can remember the day clearly as i can recall the light changing to yellow and i was around 3 meters from the line all within a few split seconds of the light changing i looked in my rear mirror to see a car close to my behind i made the split second decision to carry on as to jump on the brakes may have caused an accident. So with five years of good driving no fines tickets or even being pulled by police.

Do i have a good case to appeal?

Anyone else been through the appeal process, any info etc?

Any good sites to read regarding this?

Thanks people

[ed taylor]

You could put your case to them as you have put it here under "mittigating curcumstances" How it will affect things I don,t know.

[lee gsi]

Pretty sure they are timed so that between turning to orange and then to red there is deemed enough time to stop (Orange also means prepare to stop) if going at the speed limit.

You can try and fight it but they weren't having any of it when I went through one (Same situation) and ended up with 3 points and £60 fine.

[byebyeitsagsi]

I feel your pain mate. I got done for going through an amber light by a jobsworth traffic cop, the road was a 40mph limit and i was driving a 26t tipper lorry so i didnt have a chance of stopping when it went to amber or i would have been stopped in the middle of the junction.

Dont take this the wrong way but this is how they will see it. In the highway code AMBER also means STOP, BUT a red light camera will only prosecute you if the light is RED and has been red for a set time i think it is 2 seconds after it goes red the fines start adding up. I would ask for the camera images from them.

[hippo]

i knew someone who was killed by someone jumping a red light whilst having a row with his mrs, the guy i knew didnt stand a chance but he did live for almost a week in major pain begin to let him die.he had a wife who was crippled in the crash and had two small children..... sorry no simpathy for you....

[GazVXLINE170]

If you genuinely couldn't of stopped in the proper time - as it does state in the highway code, amber means you must stop if you can, unless stopping will cause an accident - then fair enough.

If you could of stopped then just accept the consequences.

Either way, only you know what really happened and if you could of avoided it or not.

[Fruit'n'nut]

i looked in my rear mirror to see a car close to my behind i made the split second decision to carry on as to jump on the brakes may have caused an accident.

You could put your case to them as you have put it here under "mittigating curcumstances"

If you genuinely couldn't of stopped in the proper time - as it does state in the highway code, amber means you must stop if you can, unless stopping will cause an accident - then fair enough.

As an aside, (and this is not to pick on the OP, but to offer some genuine advice) there are two points in the OP's post which I'd like to comment on.

First, if you've got another vehicle following too close behind you on a road then the correct (IMO) response is to slow down: not so as to annoy the following driver, but to extend the space in which to brake, if required, and to give the following driver more time to react.

Second, if you've only just noticed in your mirrors that the following vehicle is too close as you approach an amber light, at which you're supposed to stop, then IMO you need to check more often what is shown in your mirrors. That way you see what is behind you earlier and this gives you more time to act/react appropriately and safely.

Hopefully doing so ^ would help you avoid such situations in future.

[Mr Hyde]

And in answer to your question, there is absolutely nothing you can mitigate with. Go to court and argue the case will only see you with a bigger fine to go with the endorsement. Honestly, if I had a quid for everytime I've heard that lol.

[chewy71]

[spoons]

If the lights have been on green for some time, you are expected to slow down in anticipation of them changing, making sure its safe to stop if needed.

Reading the road ahead and observing whats going on is a basic requirement.

If you consider you are making 'split second' reactive driving decisions on your journey, then you are not paying enough attention to whats going on around you.

Consider taking an Advanced Driving course, it'll teach you all the skills needed. Its good fun as well if you like driving