How many days does it usually take to check for running a red light?
2 Answers
After running a red light, it usually takes about 3 to 7 days to check, with the latest being around 13 days. However, some cities now offer "instant electronic police capture notifications," where you can receive an SMS notification within 5-10 minutes of being captured. But the notification does not mean a traffic violation; it only serves as a capture alert. The final determination of whether it is a violation still takes 3-7 days. If it is indeed a violation, you will receive another SMS notification. For traffic violations captured by surveillance cameras, car owners generally do not receive an immediate violation SMS; there is a delay, and the duration may vary. This is because 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 staff of the traffic police department. Once confirmed as a violation, the system automatically retrieves the car owner's phone number based on the license plate information and sends the violation details via SMS. Only then will the car owner receive the corresponding violation SMS. After receiving the violation SMS, the car owner must settle all previous violations within one month before the annual vehicle inspection. If a car owner suspects a violation, they can use 15 days as a benchmark. If no violation SMS is received after 15 days, it is generally safe to assume that no violation was recorded. Traffic violation query methods: Traffic violation queries refer to checking motor vehicle violations of traffic management through online or terminal methods. Car violation queries can be done via car violation websites, phone calls, SMS, mobile apps, or offline terminals. Website query: You can search for "vehicle violation query" and enter your vehicle information to check. Phone query: You can call local 114 (area code + 114) or 12580 to confirm traffic violations. Violations can only be processed at the traffic police department where the violation occurred or where the vehicle license plate was issued. For on-site violations, such as those directly caught by traffic police, they must be processed at the violation location. SMS query: Open your phone's SMS interface; enter "WZ [license plate number] [plate color]" in the message content; enter "1062650001" as the recipient and click send. Mobile app query: Open the "Traffic Management 12123" app, select "Violation Query," and find any unprocessed violations to clear them. Offline terminal query: You can visit the local traffic management hall and use the self-service query machine to enter your license plate number and check recent violation records.
I work as a designated driver, and I often hear passengers talk about this. After running a red light is captured, the data is sent back to the traffic management system for review, which usually takes about 3 working days, but the exact time it takes to be detected is really unpredictable. Last week, I had a passenger in Hangzhou who saw a push notification on the traffic management app 12123 the very next day; but last year, my cousin ran a red light in a small county town and had to wait a whole week before receiving a text message. I suggest you start checking after 5 working days, refreshing the app twice a day. If there's still no movement after two weeks, you've probably gotten away with it. But I still advise against taking chances—I once saw a camera at an intersection capture the entire red-light run, even clearly showing the driver smoking.
