How to Fight a Red Light Ticket in New York

Want to fight a red light ticket in New York? The first thing worth noting is the law itself. It’s very simple. Intersections have a stopping point. This may be a crosswalk or a specific stop line or even the curb line in the absence of painted lines on the roadway.

There’s a spot where drivers cannot cross if the light in question is in its red phase. This is what an officer is (or should be) looking for and this is what will be at the heart of any hearing or trial regarding the matter — the color of the light at the time the driver enters (crosses that stopping point) the intersection.

The classic situation that may lead to the issuance of a red light ticket is the driver who blatantly drives straight through an intersection after the light has already entered its red phase. However, there are also situations where a driver may have entered the intersection literally at the same time the light changed from yellow to red — a virtual tie that the officer gave to the light instead of the driver.

We also see many situations where the driver entered while the light was in a green phase but was delayed getting through the intersection. This could be a situation where someone is waiting for vehicular or pedestrian traffic to clear before turning or someone going straight but is moving slowly through the intersection due to congestion.

These “delay” situations are completely legal maneuvers that sometimes can appear to an officer at the scene as if it was a violation if they weren’t paying close enough attention to the entire intersection and cycle of the light.

As with all moving violations, some people will choose to plead guilty and pay and some may choose to fight. As a three point violation in New York, we’ll almost always recommend trying to fight the ticket and avoid the conviction and points.