Can I appeal if I couldn't stop when the traffic light turned from green directly to red?
3 Answers
If you couldn't stop in time and ran through the intersection when the traffic light changed directly from green to red without a yellow light, you can apply for an appeal. According to the Road Traffic Safety Law, traffic signals must consist of red, yellow, and green lights. Red means stop, green means go, and yellow serves as a warning. Therefore, if you disagree with the traffic police's penalty, you can file an appeal. The decision depends on whether there was a yellow light: First scenario: If the traffic light had a yellow light but you failed to notice it flashing, or if the yellow light wasn't very visible during the day, you cannot appeal. These situations are not caused by the absence of a yellow light, so any appeal would likely be denied. Second scenario: If the traffic light had no yellow light—possibly due to a malfunction, obstruction, or other reasons that made it impossible to see the signal—and you were penalized for running a red light, you can appeal to the traffic police department. In such cases, the appeal is usually successful. Moreover, if the traffic light was indeed faulty, the traffic police department may already be aware of the issue and might not impose a penalty.
In this situation, you can actually file a reconsideration, mainly depending on whether you have sufficient evidence to prove that the traffic signal was indeed malfunctioning. I've handled similar cases before, and the key is to first determine whether the timing of the light transition complied with national standards. According to domestic regulations, there must be at least a 3-second yellow light buffer before the green light turns red. If the light skips the yellow phase and turns directly to red, it constitutes a signal malfunction. It's best to immediately submit video evidence from your dashcam, along with any footage of the traffic signal you captured on your phone at the time, to the traffic police department. However, I must remind you that even if the reconsideration is successful and the ticket is canceled, you should still slow down when encountering a yellow light rather than rushing through it. After all, safety is far more important than penalty points. Next time you approach an intersection, it's wiser to ease off the accelerator in advance.
You can certainly try to appeal, but the success rate is hard to predict. I've helped a friend with this before and found that just talking won't cut it—you need solid evidence. You should immediately go to the traffic police station to request surveillance footage or ask nearby businesses for their camera recordings. Nowadays, many traffic lights have timing functions, and if you can capture footage showing the light skipping the yellow phase, your appeal will likely succeed. By the way, slamming on the brakes at intersections is a common cause of rear-end collisions. My advice is to start slowing down as soon as you see the green light flashing. Many cities have installed new traffic lights with countdown timers, and paying attention to these details while driving can help you avoid a lot of trouble.
