Why No Points Deducted for Running a Red Light?

[Emilio]

Reasons for not deducting points when running a red light: Not all red-light violations are captured and penalized. This involves factors such as whether the traffic light was already red when the vehicle crossed the stop line and whether the monitoring equipment was functioning properly. Below are the criteria for electronic monitoring to determine a red-light violation: 1. A photo showing that the vehicle had not reached the stop line, i.e., the front wheels had not crossed the stop line, with clear identification of the vehicle type, red traffic signal, and stop line; 2. A photo showing that the vehicle had crossed the stop line, i.e., the rear wheels had crossed the stop line, with clear identification of the vehicle type, red traffic signal, and stop line; 3. A photo showing the vehicle's forward displacement compared to the second photo, with clear identification of the vehicle type, red traffic signal, and stop line.

[VonMariana]

Once I was in a hurry and ran a red light, feeling very panicked. A few days later, I checked the traffic violation records and found nothing. Probably the surveillance camera malfunctioned temporarily that day and didn't capture my license plate, or the intersection equipment was undergoing maintenance and made an error. This kind of situation is quite common in older urban areas where aging monitoring systems are prone to failure. However, I must remind everyone that this was purely luck—don't follow my example of reckless driving. Running a red light is too risky; if an accident happens and you or others get hurt, it would be even worse. I reflected on it afterward and now slow down at every intersection to check the lights—safety comes first. Not getting penalized that time was sheer luck, not the norm.

[OLayla]

There could be numerous reasons for not receiving penalty points for running a red light. For instance, the system might have failed to detect the violation, the camera angle might have been off and missed capturing the vehicle, or a data processing delay could have caused the record to be lost. It might also be due to policies for first-time minor offenses, where some local regulations only issue warnings without deducting points for new drivers, serving as an educational grace period. Additionally, if there was an emergency situation, such as yielding to an ambulance, and the traffic police on site didn't pursue the matter, no points would be deducted. However, I must emphasize that these are all exceptions and shouldn't be taken as excuses—driving must always be done cautiously. From my observations, many drivers think they've gotten away with it, but it's often just a temporary system issue. Daily driving still relies on consciously obeying traffic signals.

[SanAurora]

I think occasional glitches in surveillance technology are the main culprit. Aging hardware or software bugs in traffic cameras can lead to failed captures, such as misidentification errors when lighting is too bright or too dark, resulting in missed violations. Alternatively, data transmission failures may prevent violation records from being uploaded to the system, making them naturally undetectable. But don't assume this can help you evade penalties—once caught, fines and demerits are unavoidable. I make it a habit to regularly check my vehicle records to ensure safe driving. In short, the system isn't perfect, but self-discipline in driving behavior is key to avoiding the risks of running red lights.