Can I still view photos of processed traffic violations?
3 Answers
Photos of processed traffic violations cannot be viewed. Traffic violations have the following four characteristics: 1. Harmful nature: Traffic violations are harmful to the interests of society, the state, and citizens; 2. Illegal nature: Violating the "Road Traffic Safety Law" constitutes an illegal act. The "Road Traffic Safety Law" is an administrative regulation formulated by state authorities or administrative agencies for managing road traffic. Violating it constitutes an illegal act; 3. Minor nature of the act: Minor violations do not constitute a crime. According to Chinese law, traffic violations are minor violations that do not constitute a crime and do not require criminal penalties; 4. Punishable nature: Traffic violations are acts that should be punished. The punishment must be imposed by a state authority authorized by law, and the type of punishment can only be administrative penalties.
Last time I dealt with a traffic violation, I was also puzzled by this issue. After checking, I found it depends on the situation: If you handle it through the Traffic Management 12123 APP, you can open the record in the 'Violation Processing' section and see the three snapshots taken at the time, which are retained long-term. If you handle it on-site, the window staff usually shows you paper photos for confirmation, but these records become unavailable in the system after processing. I recommend taking photos with your phone as evidence before handling it. Some road sections are prone to misjudgment—my friend once encountered a case where they were wrongly fined for driving in a bus lane during restricted hours. Keeping evidence makes it easier to appeal later.
The solution depends on your approach: The most convenient way to preserve photos is through the APP, where you can always review them in the 12123 violation records. When handling it offline at the DMV, the officer will show you the surveillance screenshots, but they become hard to find once archived. Important reminder for everyone! Don’t rush to click the ‘Process’ button—first, open the violation record screenshot and save it to your phone’s album. Last time I was caught speeding on the highway, I realized the system misjudged the license plate of the car ahead. Without the original photo, filing an appeal was a hassle. After system updates in various regions, some cities now also support checking photos via SMS links.
