How long does it take to receive a notification after running a red light?
3 Answers
After running a red light, the violation notification SMS is usually received within 3 to 7 days, and at the latest within about 13 days. However, some cities now offer "instant electronic police capture alerts," where you can receive an SMS notification within 5-10 minutes of being captured. However, the notification does not equate to a violation; it serves only as a capture alert. The final determination of whether it constitutes a violation takes 3-7 days. If it is indeed a violation, you will receive another SMS notification. For traffic violations captured by surveillance cameras, vehicle owners generally do not receive the violation SMS immediately. There is a delay, and the duration may vary. After the electronic camera captures the violation, the relevant violation information needs to be transmitted through a dedicated channel to the traffic police management center, where it is compiled and then verified by the relevant traffic police department staff. Once confirmed as a violation, the system automatically retrieves the vehicle owner's phone number based on the license plate information and sends the violation details via SMS. After receiving the violation SMS, the vehicle owner must go to the traffic police department at the location of the violation to handle the matter within one month before the vehicle's annual inspection. Generally, if a vehicle owner suspects a violation, they can use 15 days as a benchmark. If no violation SMS is received within 15 days, it is likely that no violation was recorded. Traffic Violation Query Methods: Traffic violation queries refer to checking motor vehicle violations of traffic management regulations through online platforms or query terminals. There are five methods for querying traffic violations: traffic branch terminal queries, traffic violation website queries, phone queries, SMS queries, and mobile app queries. Website Query: You can search for "vehicle violation query" and enter your vehicle information to check. Phone Query: To query violations, you can call the local 114 (area code + 114) or 12580 for confirmation. Violations can only be processed at the traffic police department where the violation occurred or where the vehicle's license plate was issued. For on-the-spot violations, such as those directly caught by a traffic officer, they must be handled at the location of the violation. SMS Query: Open your phone's SMS interface; enter "WZ [license plate number] [license plate color]" in the message body; send it to 1062650001. Mobile App Query: Open the "Traffic Management 12123" app, select "Violation Query," and clear any unresolved violations.
The other day I accidentally ran a red light while driving, and it took two weeks before I received the text notification. Actually, the processing of such traffic violations depends on specific circumstances. After being captured by traffic cameras, the data first gets transmitted to the traffic management department, where staff manually review whether it's a genuine violation. In northern cities like mine, the system processes things slower, often taking 5 to 10 days to complete. A friend from the south mentioned their system is faster, with notifications sometimes arriving in just three or four days. I recommend checking the Traffic Management 12123 APP daily after a violation—it's faster than text notifications. And remember, don't rush through yellow lights. Once, I saw the red light had two seconds left and thought I could make it, only to get caught on camera—totally not worth it.
Generally, the red-light running violation notice will be sent to your mobile phone within 3 to 15 days. This process involves several steps: after the camera captures the image, the system first preliminarily identifies the license plate, then transfers it to manual review; the reviewer must confirm whether it's a false capture, if there's any license plate obstruction, etc., before finally entering it into the system to send the notification. A friend of mine in a small county experienced same-day review and notification, but in big cities like Beijing and Shanghai, during peak periods, there's a queue for processing violation data, and delays of up to ten days are common. If you haven't received the notice after more than half a month, chances are you weren't caught on camera.
