Does passing through within one second after the red light turns on count as running a red light?
2 Answers
Passing through within one second after the red light turns on counts as running a red light, but if the driver's front and rear wheels have already crossed the stop line just before the red light turns on, it does not count. Traffic signals are generally divided into red, yellow, and green lights, and some intersections only have alternating red and green lights. Regarding the operation of traffic signal sensors, they usually start working when the yellow light begins to flash. If the driver's front and rear wheels have already crossed the stop line just before the red light turns on, this is not considered running a red light. The red light violation capture by electronic cameras requires three images to constitute a violation, but it does not rule out the possibility of traffic police manually verifying the evidence based on the captured images, as the sensor often takes about one second after the red light flashes to reset.
Having driven for over a decade, I've witnessed numerous accidents caused by drivers rushing through traffic lights. Whether crossing the intersection within the first second after the red light turns on counts as running a red light depends on whether your wheels have crossed the stop line at the exact moment the red light activates. If your entire vehicle is still behind the line when the light turns red, even by just one second, it's considered running a red light. Electronic traffic enforcement is strict, capturing three consecutive photos: your car before the line when the light turns red, your car crossing the line, and your car passing through the intersection. Once in the city, I nearly hit a curb by rushing those fractions of a second. Now, I start slowing down as soon as the green light starts flashing yellow—better to wait three minutes than risk one second.
