Last night I got a ticket for "Disregarding red light" and I checked the citation for the following code 46.2-833 cited against me which is "Failure to obey traffic lights". I have a valid reason to do so, should I fight this?
by 
Anyman
ANSWERS: 6
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The day before we had a decent amount of snow, rain, and sleet. The rain had melted most of the snow away but the roads were all wet still all through the next day which is when I got my ticket. It was night time and 32 degrees outside and the wet surface was icing over. The light had turned yellow when I reached the white line and I am going 35 miles/hour. I knew if I had slammed on the breaks right there I would skid right into the middle of th intersection or even lose control of my car so I sped up to make it across and I only went up to 40 miles/hr. The light had turned red when I passed the mid point of the intersection and that was when I got pulled over for running a red.
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Sorry, Anyman, but with those conditions you shouldn't have been approaching an intersection busy enough to have a light at that speed. I think you'll have to bite the bullet on this one. I could be wrong but I'd be willing to wage a bet on it:)
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Yes, If you have a valid reason you can fight it.
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Actually, the law states that the person in the intersection always has the right of way, so if you were already in the intersection when the light changed, then you may have a case.
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You had me right up to the point of "so I sped up to make it across..." If the conditions are so slippery that you are afraid of loosing control then you shouldn't speed up. If I was an officer I would have ticketed you as well. If I saw brake lights flash on quickly followed by coasting throught the intersection I would have believed your story and let you off with a warning to slow down.
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You were driving too fast for the road and traffic conditions. I doubt you will win if you fight it. You have a responsibility to travel at a safe speed for conditions regardless of the posted speed limit. Also, your narrative of the situation includes your decision to NOT obey the traffic light. You would lose in our town without a hiccup from the judge.
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