A young woman has shared how a split-second decision on the road can cost you dearly.
Melburnian Alex Ashcroft was outraged over copping a $509 fine for entering an intersection one second after the traffic light turned red.
She showed a glimpse of the infringement notice handed out by Victorian Police after the incident in January and questioned whether it was fair, given it was so soon after the light changed.
“That is the most expensive one second of my life — more than half of my wage in one second,” Alex said.
“Failed to obey traffic lights,” the offence reads. Printed in red, the notice informed her that one second had elapsed before she entered the intersection after the light turned red.
Alex asked for a “grace period”, claiming she would not have had time to stop safely, given the speed limit was 70km/h.
“I probably would have caused an accident, and someone could have rear-ended me,” she said.
“I do not understand this at all. It does not make sense.”
But Lawyer Hayder Shkara, from Melbourne Family Lawyers, told Yahoo News this week that running a red is “completely binary”, so there’s no such thing as a “grace period”.
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The $509 fine was for running a red light in Melbourne. Source: TikTok/alex.ashcroft
It’s understood that an infringement notice is generally issued when a vehicle enters the intersection 0.5 seconds or more after the traffic light or arrow has turned red.
“There’s no leniency just because it was only 1 second after it went red,” he said.
“This is the case not only in Victoria, but in all states in Australia. Once the light is red, the offence is made out the instant you cross the line.”
How much is a fine for running a red light?
The fine relates to rule 59 of the Road Safety Rules 2017, which states, “drivers must not enter an intersection or marked foot crossing when traffic lights show a red light”.
While road rule 60 states that drivers cannot proceed in the direction of a red arrow.
Across the country, fine amounts vary.
In NSW, running a red light generally incurs a fine of $562 and three demerit points. This penalty increases to $704 and four demerit points if the offence occurs within a school zone.
And in Queensland, the same offence incurs a fine of $645 and three demerit points.
In Western Australia, it’s $300 and three demerit points, while in South Australia, running a red typically results in a fine of approximately $515 to $540.
Typically, a traffic light remains yellow (amber) for three to five seconds before turning red.
On an amber light, drivers are required to stop if it is safe to do so.
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