Will running a red light with temporary license plates result in penalty points?

[ReaganFitz]

Yes, penalty points will be incurred. According to the "Road Traffic Safety Law," drivers who violate traffic signals will be given a warning or fined between 20 and 200 yuan, along with 6 penalty points. Temporary license plates are paper-based vehicle plate numbers that allow temporary road use. Traffic violation penalties are not related to whether the vehicle has temporary or permanent plates; they are primarily imposed for the act of violating traffic rules. Determining a red light violation requires at least three pieces of photographic evidence: the vehicle not having left the stop line when the red light was on; the vehicle passing through the intersection while the red light was on; and the vehicle having crossed the line and continued moving forward while the red light was on. Article 26 of the "Road Traffic Safety Law": Traffic signals consist of red, green, and yellow lights. A red light indicates prohibition of passage, a green light indicates permission to pass, and a yellow light serves as a warning. Article 44: Motor vehicles passing through intersections must follow the instructions of traffic signals, traffic signs, road markings, or traffic police. Ways to avoid running a red light: When arrow signals are present, follow the arrow lights; otherwise, follow the circular lights. When the red light is on, the front of the vehicle must not cross the stop line. When the yellow light is on, the front of the vehicle must not cross the stop line. When the green light just starts flashing, if you are close and moving fast, you should proceed, as braking may not stop you in time, causing you to cross the stop line. If you are far away, moving slowly, or the intersection is congested, you should stop. When driving in the city, develop the habit of looking for traffic lights whenever you see a crosswalk or stop line at an intersection.

[AlanaAnn]

My cousin encountered an issue with running a red light using temporary license plates when he bought a car two years ago. He thought temporary plates were immune to traffic cameras, so he ran a red light just three days after picking up the car. A week later, he received a violation notice via text message. When he went to the traffic police station to handle it, he was told he would be penalized with 6 points deducted and a fine of 200 yuan. It turns out that every temporary plate is registered with the vehicle management office, with the chassis number, engine number, and owner's information clearly recorded. Nowadays, traffic cameras are high-definition and can accurately capture the alphanumeric combination on temporary plates. What made it worse was that he was still in his probationary period at the time, and nearly had to retake his driving test after losing all his points. So, temporary doesn’t mean exempt—stopping when you should is the safest approach.

[Aurora]

Last time, my neighbor Uncle Chen was driving his new car with temporary plates to get it registered. In a hurry, he ran a red light. He thought temporary plates wouldn’t get fined, but three days later, he received a ticket. The traffic police explained that handling violations with temporary plates is even more troublesome: besides points deduction and fines, he had to settle the violation before applying for the official license plate. Later, he spent the entire afternoon queuing at the DMV to deal with it, delaying his new car registration by two days. Now, with the upgraded road monitoring systems, many cities have checkpoints specifically targeting temporary plates, especially near highway toll booths, where enforcement is the strictest. Everyone should be extra cautious when driving with temporary plates.

[CarterDella]

Yesterday, Master Wang at the repair shop talked about temporary license plate violations. Among his new car clients, several were fined for running red lights with temporary plates. When these vehicles come in for maintenance, the system automatically shows their violation records. According to current traffic regulations, the penalty for running a red light with a temporary license plate is exactly the same as with a regular license plate: 6 points deducted and a 200 yuan fine for each violation. Electronic police cameras capture the vehicle identification number, which is directly linked to the owner through the vehicle management system. Some owners think they can avoid penalties by removing the temporary plates, but in fact, traffic police can still track them based on vehicle characteristics, making the risk even greater.

[GrahamRose]

As someone who frequently accompanies clients on test drives, I always remind them about the precautions for vehicles with temporary license plates. Nowadays, new cars come with temporary plates hung on both sides, one at the front and one at the rear. Last year, when I accompanied a client to pick up their car, the salesperson forgot to remind them about the validity period of the temporary plate. As a result, the client ran a red light while driving to another province and was stopped by highway traffic police. The penalty process is exactly the same as for regular license plates, and an additional fine of 200 yuan was imposed for the expired temporary plate. After handling the violation, a record is kept in the vehicle's file, which may affect the insurance premium the following year. For safety, it's better to wait a few extra seconds for the green light.

[DelDylan]

When I was getting my driver's license, my instructor repeatedly emphasized the traffic regulations and responsibilities for temporary license plate vehicles. One of his former students, who had just obtained their license, rented a car with temporary plates and ran a red light at night due to poor visibility of the signal. The electronic police matched the headlight shape and body color to the rental company's information, and within three days, the rental company contacted the individual. Handling the violation not only resulted in points deduction and fines but also required paying the rental company's processing fee. In total, they spent nearly a thousand yuan. Currently, most cities have implemented networked temporary license plate information, including rental and shared vehicles.