Red traffic light disaster

[KefaloniaKid]

I’m usually a careful driver but mistakenly ran a red light today. I feel awful! I’m worried about the fact it happened and also about being prosecuted.
I was driving into London along a three carriageway main road and stopped in the middle lane at a junction when the red light showed. I couldn’t see the traffic light to the left as it was obscured by the bus. Looking across the junction there was a further set of traffic lights. I mistakenly thought they were secondary lights for my junction so when they turned green I moved off. I was horrified when traffic approached from the right and had several angry drivers honking at me! It turns out the lights I saw turning green ahead of me were actually for a pedestrian crossing on the other side of the junction. So I ran my red light completely by mistake but clearly I broke the law. I’m a bit shaken as I could easily have caused an accident and it’s not even like I wasn’t paying attention - I just got it wrong.
Has anyone else done something similar?

Accept any penalty with a good grace and tell the court it is your first offence. Courts are sympathetic.

I've done exactly that once. The lights for the pedestrian crossing should have been shaded so only cars close could see them but they weren't so from across the junction I thought they were controlling the traffic I was in. The crossing was only a few metres down the road straight ahead of me.

It was a split second mistake. I don't think there's many drivers that haven't made a mistake at some point.

I remember turning the wrong way down a one way street once. Everyone had to stop while I did a 3 point turn to get the right way round. Embarrassing.

You made a mistake.
You know what you did wrong.
No one got hurt.

You might get a fine in the post if there's a camera on the lights. I don't for one moment think a court would be involved. The police and courts don't seem to have the capacity to deal with actual crimes, let alone an accidental light jump with no significant issues caused other than some cross road users.

I did that once many, many years ago. Luckily nothing was coming from other side and no pedestrians in danger, but it's what made me go get my eyes tested 🤓

I seen so many London drivers go through red lights, no big deal. I have done something so similar to this before. I was going at 50 and the orange light only stayed for a split second before turning red and I didn’t have time to slow so I went right through it. Please don’t worry. It’s extremely unlikely there’s a camera, if they do it’s only likely to record when people have gone from stationary to go whilst red, not a split second mistake. There’s no way you’ll go to court. Worst possible scenario is a fine. Please do not worry about it, we’ve all made driving errors.

Yes, I was at the front of a queue once waiting for the lights to change. These lights had an arrow filter because ahead traffic goes first and those turning right have to wait.

The traffic lights were very close to the pedestrian lights and when I saw green (it was a stick man not an arrow) I started moving off. Fortunately I realised straight away what I'd done and managed to stop within a foot without causing any obstruction. Taught me to concentrate more at the lights, that's for sure.

I immediately think of a junction near us (not London) where there is a high rate of traffic-light misreading. Left turn and straight ahead mostly happen at different times so one red light / one green. I've frequently seen people go straight ahead when the left turn light comes on. Including local taxi drivers etc who you would expect to be familiar with the intersection.

Thanks for the replies. I think what really confused me was how close the next set of lights was across the junction. As I had never been there before I’m not sure how I was supposed to know they related to a separate pedestrian crossing. Feeling a bit shaken by it.

I’ve never had any points on my licence before so don’t know much about what to expect. I know the notice of intended prosecution must be send within 14 days. I guess I’ll have to wait and see what happens - but does it usually come sooner than that? 14 days seems a very long time to wait!

If you're unlucky, OP, there will be cameras on the lights (most don't) and you'll get a £100 fine and three points. No chance of court.

Not the end of the world, and probably fair enough tbh.

Apparently most notices of intended prosecution come within the first few days. If nothing turns up by Wednesday, you're probably in the clear.

I imagine you're a bit shaken up? Try a cup of tea with sugar.

She won't have to go to court! Don't be ridiculous.

OP it will depend on whether there are cameras so you'll just have to wait and see. Will be a fine and 3 points.

You made a mistake and I'm sure you won't do it again.

i think you can check the location of traffic light cameras OP if you google it. They are fixed cameras located behind traffic lights

Im sure you’re a bit shaken up but honestly you’re not going to court or being prosecuted, worse case scenario you’ll get a fine & 3 points on your licence.

Don’t be so silly, nobody is going to court for accidentally running a red light & not having caused any accident whatsoever.

It's similar to a speeding offence, fixed penalty and 3 points and there will have to be photographic evidence to get a NIP

if you can identify the location of the junction someone will advise whether there are cameras or not.

Might put your mind at ease if there aren't any there.

I've done this before - there's a fairly new set of traffic lights on a busy (very dangerous) roundabout but they've idiotically put them on a time delay so the lights in front go green about 5 seconds before the lights you're actually stopped at go green! So lots of people go to go before suddenly braking (lots of people going in the back of cars!) or they just go and end up nearly having someone T bone them. Absolutely treacherous and it makes me shudder when I think of the times I've nearly accidentally run them with my kids in the car

I did similar last year and was in such a panic. It looked as if the lights had a camera on them but thankfully it wasn’t. You just have to sit and wait unfortunately.

Just google to see if there's a red light traffic camera at that junction. There are hardly any anywhere so it's unlikely there was one.

I once jumped some lights at a pedestrian crossing. In my mind, I was thinking I was stopped at a zebra crossing so when the pedestrian had crossed the road, I set off. It was only when I noticed no other cars were following me that I realised it was a traffic light crossing (pelican crossing?) and I had jumped the red light. There were no repercussions.

Unfortunately, since then, I gave committed a couple of offences resulting in letters through the door, but courts have not been involved. You either pay a fine and take points or pay a fine and do a course. It's a horrid business, but it teaches you to pay better attention.

The letter comes in about a week but bear in mind the postal strikes at the moment.

Xould be a fine and a few points, but I’m sure not court, OP.

I ran a red light at a zebra crossing recently - just as well nobody was there - when it was chucking it down and I was on an errand of mercy for a dd’s friend in an unfamiliar area - the SatNav had sent me to the wrong place and I was lost and in a right old tizz.

Why are you shaken’? It was a mistake. SWAT teams aren’t going to leap through your window. Courts have better things to do than haul you up to be punished. There probably weren’t even cameras so nothing will happen. If it makes you feel better, I regularly speed up and scrape through red lights.

I’m always slightly bemused by what minor driving infractions cause people on here to ‘panic’.