What Happens If You Run a Red Light? (ANSWERED)

Driving involves lots of skills and judgments, being able to make the right judgment at the right time and using the skills acquired over the years to maneuver and prevent an incident.

There are rules that govern driving. These rules are set aside to ensure the safety of road users. Traffic laws are one of those rules. The traffic laws of every state prohibit motorists from running a red light, therefore, what happens if you run a red light?

If you run a red light, you have violated a traffic rule and will be issued a ticket. You may also cause an accident that could lead to your death or the death of other road users.

What Happens If You Run a Red Light?

Here are the lists of what happens if you run a red light:

1. You Violate Traffic Rules

Every state in the US has traffic rules that are established to ensure the safety of every road user. The essence of the traffic rules is to enable you to drive out and drive back home safely.

The traffic laws of all the states in the US prohibit road users from running a red light, therefore if you “run a red light”, you have automatically violated the rule. It doesn’t matter whether you run the light by mistake or not. As long as you pass through a red light when you should not, it is a violation that comes with a punishment.

2. You Can Cause an Accident

If you run a red light, you can cause an accident. The essence of traffic lights is to improve traffic and ensure good use of the road to avoid unforeseen circumstances. Therefore, when you decide to run a red light whether accidentally or not, you may end up causing an accident.

Imagine running a red light just because you are late for a meeting and end up crashing into another vehicle that already has the right of way. How will you explain your situation? You will end up not attending the meeting.

It’s one thing to run a red light, it’s another thing to run a red light and cause an accident. It’s even worse when the accident claims a life. You will not only be cited but you will be punished beyond measure.

3. You Will Get a Ticket

You will get a ticket for running a red light. Getting a ticket is one of the penalties for running a red light. As long as there an evidence to prove your action, a ticket will be given to you.

The evidence could be a police officer who witnessed the incident, he can pull you over immediately and issue the ticket to you.

However, a ticket can also be sent to your address via mail if you run a red light where a red light camera is installed in a state that permits the issuance of a ticket from a red light camera.

The camera can capture pictures and a video recording of your car violating the rule. With this fact, a ticket will be mailed to your address.

4. You Can Get a Point on Your Driving Record

Running a red light can end up giving you a point on your driving record.

Don’t get it twisted, running a red light for the first time does not get you a point on your driving record, but becoming a repeated offender can gather points you don’t want on your record.

Before running a red light can give you a point on your driver’s license, you must have been caught and cited for a long time. Also, if the incident caused a crash that destroyed properties, injured or claimed people’s lives, you will end up having a point on your record.

5. It Can Get Your License Suspended

Running a red light can get your driver’s license suspended if the incident caused a crash that claimed people’s lives.

Let’s say you have been involved or caused an accident in no time, and caused another one for running a red light, it can get your license suspended.

No one wants to have his licence suspended because without it you cannot drive coupled with the process of getting it back which may be overwhelming for you. You may be asked to take some classes for a period of time ranging in the number of days, months, or years the license will be suspended.

The number of days your license is suspended for running a red light and causing a serious crash that killed people differs from one state to another. However, Irrespective of how long it is, having your license suspended is something you should not do. So drive carefully.

6. You May Lose Your Insurance

You may lose your insurance if you repeatedly run a red light and cause a crash, especially when the crash costs the life of a road user. The insurance company may not want to cover you anymore and even if they decide to cover you, your insurance premium will skyrocket.

These are what may happen when you run a red light whether accidentally or not. Getting a ticket is obvious as long as you’re caught in the act. You can decide to fight to have the ticket dismissed but good luck with that.

Why Do People Run Red Light?

People run red lights because:

• They Want to Beat The Yellow Light: Most people run a red light because they are trying to beat the yellow light. Without making a proper calculation on how fast they can pass the yellow light, they end up running a red light.
• They are in a Hurry: Some people run a red light just because they are in a hurry. They end up violating the rule and incurring a fine to themselves.
• They are Reckless: Reckless drivers are known for reckless driving which involves not minding the traffic rules. They don’t care about the color of the traffic light.
• They are Speeding: Others run a red light just because they are speeding. With that kind of speed, you may not be able to get your brakes to stop your car and end up running the light.
• They are Distracted: Some distracted drivers may end up running a red light if they are distracted and don’t pay close attention to the traffic light. They can be distracted by phones, GPS, or their car radio, etc.
• They are Driving Under the Influence: Driving under the influence will affect your diving skills and judgments. Therefore, those driving under the influence may end up running the red light without realizing their actions.
• Inability to Clearly See the Traffic Lights: Some may end up running a red light because they are not able to clearly see the road, they end up running the light. This is possible if you are speeding and the location of the light hinders you from seeing the lights on time.
• They are Tired: If you are too tired to drive and you’re driving, you may end up running the red light because you are too tired to focus and drive judiciously.

What Happens If You Run a Red Light and Don’t Get Caught?

If you run a red light and don’t get caught, nothing will happen. You will not get a ticket for your action.

However, if you run a red light and didn’t get caught but caused a crash before driving off, you may be traced and contacted for possible punishment if the affected road user reports the incident to the police.

If you run a red light and get caught by a police officer, a ticket will be issued to you as a punishment for your actions.

What Happens if You Run a Red Light with a Camera?

If you run a red light with a camera, the camera will capture your car violating the rules. Depending on your state of residence, the camera will take some number of pictures as well as videos to prove that you violated the traffic law.

In Florida, the red light camera will capture two pictures of the car as well as a 12-second video of the incident.

In California, the camera will capture 4 pictures; one that has the back of the car with the license plate number, and the one that captures the image of the driver either from the driver’s side or from the windshield. With the camera evidence, a ticket will be processed and sent to you by mail.

What Happens if You Run a Red Light for the First Time?

There’s always a first time for everything. If it is your first time running a red light, you will be cited and a ticket will be sent to your mail. You will be required to pay the fine stated in the ticket within the period of 30 days. The number of days you are allowed to pay for the ticket differs from one state to another.

When Can You Run a Red Light?

There’s no time when you can run a red light to avoid violating the traffic law that comes with a fine.

However, you can run a red light if you need to prevent an accidental car from crashing into you. You may be given a ticket for your action but you can fight the ticket telling the obvious reasons why you ran the light. Since your actions are justifiable and did not cause another crash, you could have the ticket dismissed.

Penalties for Running a Red Light

A red light ticket price and punishment varies from one state to another. They are as follows:

Conclusion

What happens if you run a red light is simple. You will get a ticket that will cost you money to clear. You can end up causing an accident which may or may not take someone’s life. In all, running a red light is a violation of a traffic rule and should be avoided at all cost. The last thing you want is to be captured as a repeated offender.

You could end up having a point on your driving record, get your license suspended, and increase your insurance premium. You could lose your insurance as no insurance company would want to cover someone who intentionally causes problems.