Red light camera

[Man in the middle]

Unfortunately the process the police employ to treat red light offences is a bit of a blunt instrument. As you seem to have discovered, it is based solely on the "time into red". It does not discriminate between somebody who simply continues driving across a red light 60 seconds after they turned red, and somebody like you who stopped and mistakenly pulled away. You will almost certainly see your matter dealt with in court. If it is, the first you will hear will be by way of a "Single Justice Procedure Notice" (SJPN). You will be asked to respond to the notice by choosing one of three options:

 

1. Plead guilty and have the case dealt with under the Single Justice Procedure (a hearing you cannot attend)

2. Plead guilty but request a hearing in the normal Magistrates' Court.

3. Plead Not Guilty.

 

I would not recommend Option 3. If you want the court to hear your mitigation you can either provide it in writing by choosing Option 1 or explain it in person to the court by choosing Option 2. The police have six months from the date of the offence to begin court proceedings and in many areas take all of that, so you may not receive your SJPN for some time.

 

The offence carries three points or a disqualification. A disqualification is unlikely in the circumstances you describe.

Edited May 9, 2023 by Man in the middle