Can the driver be clearly seen in the photo of running a red light?
4 Answers
Running a red light photo cannot clearly show the driver. The electronic eye uses induction lines to sense the pressure from vehicles on the road, collects the signals through sensors to the central processor, and starts or shuts down the electronic photo system within the traffic light cycle. The working principle of the electronic eye capturing red light running: within the same time interval (red light cycle), if two pulse signals are generated simultaneously, it is considered "valid". If the red light is on, the front wheels cross the line, but the rear wheels do not, only one pulse is generated. When there are no two consecutive pulses, no photo is taken. At the same time, at least three pictures of the violating vehicle are taken: one is an instant violation picture, one is a license plate recognition picture, and one is a panoramic picture (all three pictures are taken instantly). The criteria for determining red light running: if the vehicle just crosses the stop line when the light is red but stops immediately, this kind of red light running will not be penalized. However, if there is obvious movement after crossing the line, it will be penalized.
I specifically asked a friend at the traffic police about this last time. Electronic police mainly capture license plates. There are three panoramic photos for red light violations: front, rear, and middle, focusing on recording the license plate, vehicle body, and red light status. The driver's face may be unclear due to glare during the day, but at night, lighting can sometimes capture facial features clearly. However, there are significant differences in equipment age across regions. It's normal for old-style cameras to not capture faces clearly, while newer models combine frontal vehicle shots. If someone else borrowed your car and violated traffic rules, you can request to retrieve intersection surveillance footage to supplement the evidence chain.
From a technical perspective, there are indeed challenges. Ordinary red-light cameras have limited frames per second, making it easy to capture blurred facial images when vehicles move at high speeds. After comparing violation photos from different cities, I've noticed that first-tier cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen have faster equipment upgrades. Cameras with over 2 million pixels, combined with fill lights, can clearly capture the driver's hair outline and even glasses reflections at night. However, older equipment in smaller cities often produces photos with just a blob of white light on the windshield. Some areas additionally install overhead facial recognition cameras specifically to address driver identification issues.
A little-known fact I discovered when dealing with traffic violations: The surveillance system prioritizes license plate recognition rate. During my last appeal, I saw the original photo where even the text on the tissue box I placed on the dashboard was crystal clear, yet the driver's face was as blurry as if pixelated. The traffic police explained that the algorithm first locks onto the license plate area for optimized imaging. Unless using special installation angles or lenses over 400mm, the driver's seat position falls within the imaging periphery. Some cities are now piloting facial recognition cameras that can accurately capture who's behind the wheel.
