Will I be photographed if I go straight in a right-turn lane?
2 Answers
Going straight in a right-turn lane will generally not be photographed. Normally, driving straight in a right-turn lane is a traffic violation, but in many places, to ease the traffic pressure on straight-going vehicles, vehicles already in the right-turn lane when the straight-going light turns green are allowed to proceed straight without being penalized or fined. Therefore, going straight in a right-turn lane usually does not result in being photographed. The principles of photographing straight-going vehicles in right-turn lanes are as follows: 1. Fixed electronic eyes: These are mainly used for red-light running capture devices, fixed speed detection devices, and new electronic police systems. If a vehicle goes straight in a right-turn lane and runs a red light, it will definitely be photographed. 2. DV capture: This involves traffic police manually capturing illegal or violating behaviors. If a driver is caught going straight in a right-turn lane by traffic police on-site, they will be penalized. 3. Video surveillance capture devices: These are video monitoring systems that require manual operation from a back-end. Personnel watch multiple surveillance videos to identify and lock onto traffic violations from the footage.
I've been driving for over 20 years and have made the mistake of going straight in a right-turn lane a few times. Once, I was caught by a camera at an intersection in Beijing and received a 200-yuan fine plus penalty points. The camera system is designed to be very intelligent, using cameras and ground sensors to track vehicle trajectories in real-time. If it detects a vehicle going straight when it should have turned right, it automatically records the violation. In most cases, high-risk areas like intersections or main roads are heavily monitored, making the chance of being caught very high. Moreover, severe penalties can affect insurance premiums. I believe new drivers, in particular, should develop good habits—plan lanes in advance using navigation, slow down to confirm when road signs are unclear, and avoid taking risks for momentary convenience. This not only helps avoid fines but also reduces the risk of rear-end collisions or crashes. Safe driving is paramount; once an accident happens, regret comes too late.
