Speeding Because of Orange Light (VIC)

Hi all,

Need your advice here please. Long story short, the traffic light changed to orange while I was doing 80km/h, there was so little time for me to stop, so I pressed the gas harder to avoid the red light. Several days later got infringement notice, not because of crossing the red light, but due to speeding for less than 10km/h. The infringement notice photo showing clearly that I have crossed the line while the light turned into orange. I acknowledge that I am in the wrong and next time I will try to brake instead of pressing the gas harder.

My question is, has anyone been in my position before? What is my chance with internal review? Or should I just pay the fine and move on?

P.S: This is not my first infringement notice, so I will not be able to ask to get warning instead. The infringement was in Victoria.

Thank you

Poll Options expired

  • 10
    Request for an internal review
  • 163
    Pay the fine

closed Comments

  • +6

    while it was a bad call to accelerate instead of brake, at least you beat the red.

    no chance for internal review. pay the fine

    • I know :( Well, better more careful next time. Thank you for your comment.

      • As madmouse said, luckily you got a speeding ticket and not a red light fine, that shit is way more expensive. But either way you were speeding, and most of those cameras (if not all) detect both speeding and people running red lights.

        • +1

          I slammed the brakes on orange the other night when a cop was stopped on the other side of the intersection. Braked hard as I could without locking up, but the front wheels came to a stop over the white line and I got done for 3 points $455 running red by the Hwy patrol. Speeding less than 10km/h over is 1 point and $114.
          I should have done what you did.

        • @mskeggs:

          That truely sucks haha

        • @mskeggs: Thank you for your comment. Made me feel a bit better now. Feel sorry for you though.

        • True! Look at it from the positive side..

        • @mskeggs: Even though you didn't proceed all the way through the intersection? Really? Damn O_O

  • +2

    I think most people have done this, but you just did it at a set of lights with a speed gun and red light gun. Unlucky, but you know you did wrong and there is no justification … pay up

  • +8

    lol. These advice posts are getting funnier by the day.

    If indeed you are serious, go back to the scene and time how long the light stays orange as they are required to be a certain time period so vehicles are able to brake safely in time to stop.

    Item 18 in the link below outlines the required times in Victoria
    http://cameracommissioner.vic.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2013…

    • Thanks for the info. The fine was for speeding though, not for red light?

    • +1

      At this point I think people are trolling OzBargains. This poster cannot be serious.

  • P.S: This is not my first infringement notice, so I will not be able to ask to get warning instead. The infringement was in Victoria.

    Yep, nothing you can do if it isn't your first notice in the last few years. Speeding up isn't a reason to get off a fine.

    If you had time to 'speed up' to make it, you had time to stop!

    • -2

      Sometimes the reflect is to press the gas a bit since I'm afraid that the car behind me will hit because I'm braking hard.

      • +3

        Then it's their fault for following too closely.

      • that is their problem.

  • +5

    Green light mean go
    Red light mean stop
    Orange light mean go really fast

    Simples

    (Sorry. Anyone old enough to remember Starman)

  • +1

    Thread title should be 'speeding becuase of right foot''

  • op, slightly off topic, but I was just wondering, when did you do this and how long did the speeding fine take to arrive in the mail?

    thanks if you answer my question

    • Around two weeks ago. I guess the arrival is depending on where are you located. I am located a bit far from CBD. Hope that helps.

  • I always thought it was yellow light….

    Yeah they have replaced the red light cameras with safety cameras which catch both speeding and red lights!

    • I always thought it was yellow light….

      Technically its amber……

  • +2

    pay the fine and move on

    This^^

    You broke the law. What do hope to achieve with this thread? Sympathy for speeding……..?

    there was so little time for me to stop

    That's not how orange lights are timed. If you were too close to the intersection to stop, and were doing the 80km/h limit, there was ample time for you to cross the intersection at 80km/h without getting a red light ticket.

    However if there was time to stop and you were gunning it to 'beat the orange' when you didn't need to, is a mistake you should learn from.

    I have a hard time believing you when you say there was little time to stop. Pay more attention. Sorry.

    • You broke the law. What do hope to achieve with this thread? Sympathy for speeding……..?

      No, I was asking for suggestion about my chance with internal review.

      • chance is zero. close thread.

        • Thank you. Slightly off topic, how can I close the thread? Do I need to contact the mod?

  • That's why they call it Safety Cameras. Catching speeding and running a red light two in one. Soon it's been three in one catching texting as well.

  • +7

    What would make you think you have any avenue of appeal here? You've already admitted that you made a poor decision which resulted in you breaking the law - for which you were caught and fined.

    I genuinely struggle to believe people when they claim that it 'wasn't possible to stop safely' at an orange light, because if the light changed to orange when you were metres away from the intersection, you wouldn't need to speed to make it through cleanly. On the other hand, if you just hadn't noticed that the light was amber until the last minute it's still your issue because you weren't paying attention.

    Quit with the excuses, pay the fine and next time use the brake instead of the gas.

    • I genuinely struggle to believe people when they claim that it 'wasn't possible to stop safely' at an orange light, because if the light changed to orange when you were metres away from the intersection, you wouldn't need to speed to make it through cleanly.

      Spot on. OP is clearly a poor driver and doesn't pay enough attention.

      • Please don't be too judgemental. I have a baby with me at the back, so would prefer to press the gas a bit more rather than hard brake and risk her. Is that considered as a poor driving skill?

        • Yes, that's even worse that you speed and risk a red light with a child in the back.

        • @Skramit: All right…

        • +1

          I think your hazard perception could do with some refinement -

          You only seem to be concerned with the risk of being hit from behind, do you not see that it's equally (if not more) likely that you'll smash into somebody that's legally turning across your lane under an amber light by speeding through it?

          The fact that you had a child with you makes this whole scenario a lot worse, probably would have been best not to mention that.

  • +1

    Obviously the traffic light was defective as it made you speed up when it's meant to make you slow down. I'd appeal it.

    • Don't you mean you'd peal it?

  • You can request an internal review and request an official warning for speeding less than 10km/h.
    You must admit fault when submitting your request. Your record also has to be clean for the last couple of years too I believe.
    They should waive the fine and give you a warning.

    The tone on these forums has become very judgemental lately. Ozbargain is a pretty nice community compared to the rest of the internet, lets try to keep it that way.

    • +3

      The judgemental tone you speak of has only become more apparent of late because of the increasing number of "I did something wrong and don't want to have to deal with the consequences" type posts, where OP presents a (sometimes poorly) crafted version of events designed to attract sympathy / empathy from the reader.

      Personally, I don't think threads like these are beneficial because it feeds a sense of entitlement that one is not subject to the same traffic (and other) laws as others.

      • +2

        I've seen some of the ridiculous posts but this one is isn't that bad.
        Everyone just wants to sit on their high horse and look down on others. Plenty of people in this thread willing to come here and have their fun critising. No one actually gave the advice needed until I came along. I'm sure I'll get a bunch of negs for mentioning this but we'll slowly descend into whirlpool forums.
        Such is the internet I guess, I'm just saddened by it.

        • Have the same feeling. That is right, just the nature of the internet..

        • +1

          I tend to think that the reason nobody had provided the information you did was that the general consensus is that OP doesn't deserve leniency in this particular context, which to me suggests some level of social conscience - which I think is a good thing to have within any community.

          Just out of curiosity, would you still be inclined to offer advice and guidance if OP had been picked up for say, drink driving, instead of a speeding infringement?

        • No one actually gave the advice needed until I came along.

          Well you haven't answered OP's questions either

          My question is, has anyone been in my position before?
          What is my chance with internal review?

          On the second question, OP seems to have provided the answer

          This is not my first infringement notice, so I will not be able to ask to get warning instead.

        • Drink driving is drastically different to speeding by less than 10km/h over the limit.
          That is why there is no option for review in that case.
          The police have provided an option because they believed that leniency is justified.
          Most of the time they actually get critised for using speed cameras to raise revenue.

        • @Baysew:

          I told him all he needed to know. Request a review, admit fault, as long as your record is clean in the last 2 years you should get the fine waived.

        • @potm:

          I told him all he needed to know.

          Hope he doesn't check to poll results then!

    • Thank you sincerely. My record is clean for the last couple of years. Have not get any single fine since I moved to Victoria more than 5 years ago.

      • Then you should be able to apply for an internal review. I believe you just have to have been free of speeding infringements for 2-3 years to be eligible to ask for one in Victoria.

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