Does Crossing the White Line and Then Noticing a Red Light Count as Running a Red Light?

[VonJustin]

If a vehicle's front wheels have just crossed the stop line when the light turns red, and the vehicle stops immediately without moving further, it will not be considered as running a red light. According to Article 2 of the 'Scoring Standards for Road Traffic Safety Violations,' continuing to proceed in violation of the rules constitutes running a red light, which results in a deduction of 6 points. If the vehicle completes crossing the line and continues to move until it is fully past the line before stopping, thereby affecting the passage of other vehicles and pedestrians, it will be penalized as stopping beyond the line. Crossing the stop line can be divided into two scenarios: the front wheels crossing the stop line, or the entire vehicle crossing the stop line. The 'Regulations for the Implementation of the Road Traffic Safety Law of the People's Republic of China' Article 38 states: Motor vehicle signal lights and non-motor vehicle signal lights indicate: When the green light is on, vehicles are permitted to proceed, but turning vehicles must not obstruct the passage of straight-moving vehicles or pedestrians. When the yellow light is on, vehicles that have already crossed the stop line may continue to proceed. When the red light is on, vehicles are prohibited from proceeding. When the red light is on, right-turning vehicles may proceed if they do not obstruct the passage of other vehicles or pedestrians. At intersections without non-motor vehicle signal lights or pedestrian crossing signal lights, non-motor vehicles and pedestrians should follow the motor vehicle signal lights. The new traffic regulations clearly stipulate that running a red light requires the following three necessary conditions: The vehicle illegally crosses the stop line. The vehicle illegally enters the intersection. The vehicle illegally crosses the opposite stop line. Electronic police (traffic cameras) capture three complete video images to constitute running a red light: an image of the vehicle at the moment of violation, an image identifying the vehicle's license plate, and a panoramic image. There are three scenarios regarding whether a vehicle is running a red light while driving: If the vehicle's front wheels cross the stop line or both front and rear wheels cross the stop line but the rear of the vehicle has not yet crossed, and the vehicle stops immediately, traffic police will not penalize it as running a red light, but may penalize it for improper stopping, deducting 2 points. If the vehicle's front wheels cross the stop line, regardless of whether the entire vehicle has fully crossed, and the vehicle stops and then reverses, being captured by traffic cameras with two complete moving images, it will be treated as running a red light, resulting in a 6-point deduction and a fine. If the entire vehicle fully crosses the stop line and stops or continues forward, and within one red light cycle, the traffic cameras capture the three complete images constituting running a red light, regardless of whether the vehicle proceeds to the intersection or crosses the opposite stop line, it will be penalized as running a red light, resulting in a 6-point deduction and a fine. Article 2 of the 'Scoring Standards for Road Traffic Safety Violations' states: Driving a motor vehicle in violation of traffic signal lights results in a deduction of 6 points. However, not all situations will lead to a 6-point deduction. For example, violations such as making a left turn from a straight lane will still be penalized under the 'Road Traffic Safety Law' as violating a prohibitory sign, resulting in a 3-point deduction. Additionally, running a red light recorded by cameras will only incur a fine without point deduction.