What to Do If You Run a Red Light in Another City?
3 Answers
On-site traffic violations that occur in another city should be handled at the local traffic management department. Non-on-site violations can be processed either by the local traffic management department or by the traffic management department in your home city. Point Deduction Standards for Running a Red Light: According to Article 2, Section 1, Clause 2 of the "Scoring Standards for Road Traffic Violations," driving a motor vehicle in violation of traffic signal lights results in a deduction of 6 points. Article 3, Section 1, Clause 8 states that driving a motor vehicle in violation of prohibition signs or no-entry markings results in a deduction of 3 points. How to Check for Running a Red Light: You can check for red light violations through the "Traffic Management 12123" app. After opening the app, log in using your ID card, then find and click on the violation handling option. In the violation handling section, you can see the current status of your vehicle. If there are any violations, the specific details will be displayed. You can also check by visiting the office halls of the traffic police branches in various districts and counties of each city and using the touch query terminals. Alternatively, log in to the external service websites of the public security traffic management bureaus of each city's public security bureau, find the vehicle violation query section, enter your license plate number and vehicle engine number, and click to query.
Last time I went traveling, I accidentally ran a red light in another city and was really panicked at the time. The most practical advice is: quickly open the Traffic Management 12123 APP and bind your vehicle—electronic monitoring violations usually show up in the system within three days. The handling process is pretty much the same as for local violations; now that the system is nationwide, the easiest way is to pay fines and deduct points directly in the APP, without needing to travel back to the violation location. If you're caught on the spot, the police will ask you to handle it within 15 days either locally or in the vehicle's registered location. Key reminders: 1) Never trust any third-party agents offering to 'handle' it for you; 2) Don't delay until the annual inspection to deal with it; 3) Make sure the ticket is stamped with the traffic police's official seal—I learned this the hard way. Also, check if your SMS notification feature is enabled to avoid missing notices and incurring late fees.
I once ran a red light in a neighboring province during a road trip, and here's my experience dealing with it: First, stay calm and don't panic. Nowadays, non-on-site enforcement relies on electronic capture, so you can confirm the violation by checking the 12123 app within 3-7 days. The process for handling out-of-town violations is basically the same as local ones—you can handle it directly on the app without traveling between cities. However, if you're penalized on the spot by traffic police, remember to ask for two copies of the ticket—one for your records as proof. Key reminders: Only use official channels for online payments; fines in other jurisdictions may be 30% higher than local ones; pay attention to your driver's license point reset cycle when handling violations to avoid accumulating too many points by processing them all at the end of the cycle. Lastly, I recommend installing the electronic eye alert feature in map apps—it's especially useful when traveling out of town.
