“Failure To Stop At Red Light - Making Left Turn Lane”

I was driving westbound, making a left turn.

On the green light, I approached the left turn lane behind a taxi.

The light was green. The taxi in front of me was turning left, and I followed the flow of traffic. Then he stopped as he feared that the oncoming vehicle wasnt going to stop on the amber light - the roads were slippery and snowy.

My front tires were past the outside line of the crosswalk when the light went from amber to red... I made my left turn.

The officer was at a right angle facing northbound. He pulled a U-turn and and stopped me - issuing me a ticket for running a red light, violating 144(18), and a $325.00 fine!!!

I was so confused when he pulled me over. I didn't know what to do or say???

My front tires were past the stop line and in the marked crosswalk area at the time the light changed from green to amber to red. The officer couldn't have seen this as the taxi was in front of me.

I entered the intersection on green and needed to clear it, when safe to do so.

I have a clean record - this is the FIRST time I have ever been stopped by a police officer in my 24 years of driving. HELP!! The police officer told me to select option 3.

I plan to plea not guilty. Any words of advice - please?

Thanks in advance for any good advice.

M

Pick option 3. When you get your trial date, you can request disclosure of the evidence against you (in this case, the officer's notes). Then you can figure out how much a defence you have against this charge.

OK - I will certainly do that. I can't see that his notes will indicate that I was NOTin the intersection. I was clearly across the intersection line following another vehicle turning left.

thanks again - much appreciated

If you can testify that you were already in the intersection, and just waiting for traffic to clear, there is a chance that will be accepted as a defence. You'll have to clarify with the officer: Where are drivers supposed to stop on a red? Are they allowed to remain in a crosswalk? Is there any law that states that only one vehicle may enter the intersection at a time to turn left? (There isn't.) Things like that. You want to get the officer to indicate that being past the stop line waiting to turn left behind another vehicle is not illegal, provided that you entered on a green. Then you get up and testify that your vehicle was already past the stop line and had to legally complete the turn to clear the crosswalk and the intersection. However, you'll have to get the officer's notes to see what he observed.