Accidentally ran a red light, being asked to UK court, what can I expect?
Posted by clanwalk3r@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 46 comments
[removed]
Posted by clanwalk3r@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 46 comments
[removed]
Curious-Resort4743@reddit
These left slip road junctions at traffic lights can be confusing, sometimes there's a light that applies to them, sometimes there isn't.
Conscious-Pie-4794@reddit
And sometimes there is a light, but also it's s giveway junction. Those are dangerous, because you go through a green but need to actually stop so cars don't just plow into the side of you.
lego-hearts26@reddit
If you’re not originally from England then just tell them you’re not accustomed to red lights
GlumAd9856@reddit
There's already a good response about what is likely to happen.
Just to add though that I also went through a red light by mistake last year. I'm paranoid about tickets/points and do my best to concentrate on the road/signs/lights etc. I almost always use a sat nav when driving in an unfamiliar area and don't have music on unless i know where i'm going . But on this one occasion I got a bit confused on a local road, ended up in a road system I had never been in before and got confused that a set of lights were the 'back set' of ones i'd just gone through. Fortunately there either wasn't a camera or I went through in the grace period. Was expecting a letter and fine for weeks afterwards.
Isgortio@reddit
I've only ever run a red twice, and both times it was because the lights ahead of me went green and for a moment I thought they were in sync with the ones next to me. I only realised I ran a red when no one else moved with me :( luckily there were no cameras but idk what happened to my brain, I've driven through those lights normally so many times.
FranzFerdinand51@reddit
Holy anxiety
PoetryBeneficial6447@reddit
Did this Saturday, new Rd system and I was a bit on auto pilot. Was watching the wrong light and went through mine on red.. Expecting a letter.
Heavy_Willingness_12@reddit
If you have a had clean licence for that long then there is no way your losing it
I had a clean licence for 25 years when I got followed by an unmarked bmw doing 138 mph
Fucked up thing was, i was trying to chase a Noble M600.
Had to be dealt with in court but my clean licence meant i was able to keep it, still got 6 points and £1000 fine though.
Your looking at 3 points max and a couple hundred quid fine. As long as your not serving county lines or mowing old people down for fun when they walk home from bingo, your golden. 👍
FreeBogwoppits@reddit
It'll be painless. I was done for speeding, and the speed was deemed too high for a PCN so I had to go to court.
They sent me the court date. I had to tick a box whether I wanted to attend or just have a statement read out. I ticked the box for "read out my statement". The back of the form had a box where I had to write in my statement including any mitigation. I filled in the box and sent the form back.
A couple of weeks after the court date I receive a letter telling me I'd got 3 points and £100 fine, exactly the same as a PCN.
(My speeding was 44mph in a 30 zone. Yes, I was an idiot. It was a dual carriageway, I assumed it was a 40, and Id put my foot down to get away from the traffic lights and change lane. Entirely my fault.)
mrtopbun@reddit
Was this the A38 near Exeter lol, I always thought that bit was stupid
pinpoint321@reddit
My one and only speeding offense was on the Oldham road out of Manchester. Dual carriageway and nothing but factories and warehouses on either side. Saw the speed camera made sure I was doing 40 and got done.
OrigamiPenguinCannon@reddit
Fully know exactly where you mean! Yet Broadway is 40 with all.the houses? Madness...
burtsarmpson@reddit
That nearly gets me weekly tbh it looks soooo 40
oafcmetty@reddit
Used to be able to get to about 80 on that bit in the mid 90s!
This_Suit8791@reddit
Was it two lanes or actually a dual carriageway as there’s a difference? Also dual carriageway can be any speed limit.
itsableeder@reddit
The area around my local test centre has four proper dual carriageways around it in a little square and they're all 40 except for one that's 30, and people regularly get done for doing 40 on it (or fail their tests - I picked up one of my two minors for getting up to 34 on it before I realised which road I was on and brought the speed back down). I'm now wondering if the person you're replying to lives near me 😅
Competitive-Net5837@reddit
Wouldn't happen to have been the A38 was it
Jayjayuk85@reddit
Many many years ago. I was messing around on a quiet road. Going from one side to the other. Really slowly. It was like 2am and no one around, apart from a police car behind me. I was 19… similar letter. I got the option to do an in person driving course for 2 days at a test centre. They just wanted to see an improvement in your driving. Very easy to pass.
gladysdames@reddit
The angriest lolly pop lady you’ve ever seen! She’ll recite the green cross code at you with furiously hedgehogs to back her up!
Haha but nahh, if it’s an innocent mistake, maybe a small fine. Hopefully.
PatternWeary3647@reddit
Don’t worry, you won’t be going to prison.
It’ll be a fine and three points.
The amount of the fine will depend on your weekly income, aggravating or mitigating circumstances, and then they will add court costs and victim surcharge.
Friendly-Handle-2073@reddit
Who's the victim here?
kelsal@reddit
Victim surcharge goes into a pot that pays out for victims of crime, not necessarily the victim of this offence.
Friendly-Handle-2073@reddit
Today, I learned something new! Thanks!
PatternWeary3647@reddit
The victim surcharge is added to all sentences (40% of any fine) and is used to fund victim support services. It doesn’t go to any specific victim.
squigs@reddit
Similar thing happened to my mum. Lapse of judgement, red light, asked to court. In the end it was delayed a couple of times before they decided not to bother, and just slapped her with a fine and points.
Not saying this will happen for you but the courts are even more backed up so it's a possibility.
Internal_Lion_1836@reddit
court for a red light?? fucking hell
squigs@reddit
It. Probably depends on the severity. She was going at 30mph and the light had been red for a while.
If you just miss a yellow light I think you'll get the usual option of points and a fine or a course.
Internal_Lion_1836@reddit
fuck omg
aldog2929@reddit
Just tell it like you told us.
I got the same letter for getting caught doing 99mph on the motorway stressing because I thought I was running late for a job I was doing that day... absolutely no excuse.
I thought I'd be attending court until I got a letter giving me the option to either plead guilty through the post with my argument and potentially receive a reduced punishment, or attend court.
My reason was at the time I (rightfully) thought there was no specific start time for the work I was due to do that day. Until, while on route, I received a text from my client asking where I was and claiming they were worried I wasn't there. I started panicking and raced to get there as soon as possible when it turned out there was no rush whatsoever.
I explained this and some other personal shit that was going on at the time such as my girlfriend cheating on me not too long before, I ended up getting 5 points and a £530 fine, while worrying I was going to be getting banned from driving, given a prison sentence and so on.
Susan_B_Good@reddit
It's likely to be a set of volunteer JPs, not a DJ. You can say what you have written above - you thought it was a slip road with a give way, checked for traffic ready to stop but as there was none, continued on. The road markings were old and barely visible (if they were). No mention of lapses of focus or whatever. Just an honest mistake after a decade of clean licence. It's probably worth going if you can -shows that you have taken this seriously. They get these cases day in, day out - with the more serious stuff going to the DJs (if they have any at that court). So it will be pretty painless.
kelsal@reddit
Just fill in the paperwork you receive, mostly likely won’t be a court hearing you’ll have to attend unless you request it to be. The court will means test you based on your income and the fine will be based on that, you will also receive points on your licence. The reason it’s a court summons rather than just a fixed penalty is based on the time since it changed to red, there’s a certain threshold which means it’s automatically sent to summons.
Jacktheforkie@reddit
IIRC on your first offense you can do a course, take the course and learn from your mistakes
Dependent_One6034@reddit
Recently got 3 points for speeding, Bit annoying really but it was my own fault.
Just so you're aware OP and not too worry. This raised my insurance by about £6 over the entire year.
zebra1923@reddit
Shit happens. Tick the box, make your statement, you’ll get fined and some points.
You’re not going to jail, you’re not going to lose your license (based on your description).
Clothes_Chair_Ghost@reddit
It’s no big deal. I went to court for a speeding charge you will go in and wait your turn. It’s not like a grand duty affair just a judge and a few officials. You will be called and asked to plead your case, basically. Say what you did and the judge will make a ruling. You will then be told the judgement of the court if any and free to leave.
Just be willing to pay any fines and get any points. They are usually more lenient if you admit you are in the wrong and willing to accept consequences. I got my speeding fine knocked down from a higher fine to the base fine when I went.
Then shake down your friend for some cash if you get a fine. Least he can do is pay for some or all the fine for his shitty navigation
Normal-Ear-5757@reddit
Just watch the judge doesn't get his black cap on
jacobsnemesis@reddit
Seems a bit excessive. The court summons will just be a formality and I don’t think you’ll be in that much bother. You’ve made a genuine mistake. Just one you’re going to have to suck up unfortunately. Live and learn 👍🏻
Curly_Edi@reddit
Probably a letter with the option to attend in person. You will get 3 points and a fine. Don't panic.
TehDragonGuy@reddit
Going through red lights is usually just a fine, not points. There's a good chances it'll just be a fine for OP, too.
Curly_Edi@reddit
I got 3 points in very similar circumstances to the OP. Car full of friends sudden turn on to a street with an immediate pelican crossing that was showing red... which I went through. Thankfully no pedestrians nearby.
TehDragonGuy@reddit
Turns out I'm just flat out wrong, I'm deleting my comment 😞 not sure where I heard that from but my bad!
Ok-Information4938@reddit
Should be fine in this case.
Take the learning though as root cause seems to have been being distracted.
silentdragoon@reddit
I would mention that you need to drive for your job, not that your offense is likely to cause you to not be able to drive.
TechJoe90@reddit
Honestly just explain as much. Momentary lapse from a distraction.
Ok-Cold3937@reddit
I’d just explain it as it is and be open to some course or whatnot.
AutoModerator@reddit
Please help keep AskUK welcoming!
When replying to submission/post please make genuine efforts to answer the question given. Please no jokes, judgements, etc. If a post is marked 'Serious Answers Only' you may receive a ban for violating this rule.
Don't be a dick to each other. If getting heated, just block and move on.
This is a strictly no-politics subreddit!
Please help us by reporting comments that break these rules.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.