OHTA.ca

While waiting for the traffic to clear..being the second car in the intersection...when the traffic finally stop we made our turns but I was stopped and was given a ticket for going through a red light. Apparently, there is only one car allowed in an intersection making a left at a time? Does the law really state this? Am I truly in the wrong? :roll:

Red light tickets (both fail to stop and proceed before green) don't apply if you were already in the intersection when the light turned red.

Simon,

Is there no charge though about proceeding through an intersection (past the white solid line) before the car ahead of you has completed their turn?

In driver training they make this safety fact very well known.

It happens ALL the time but I definitely know it's a bad idea and leaves you in a vulnerable position.

For example you sometimes see these retards backing up on the road because the light turned green in the other direction and they couldn't clear it in time because too much oncoming traffic was running yellow/red lights in their direction. Or they are riding the bumper of the car in front of them to make it through before the light turns green in the other direction pressuring the car in front to maybe turn too early before cars who were running the yellow/red have cleared the intersection.

I am glad there is an officer actually charging for this offense (although he maybe should have charged you a different offense, I don't know what it would be called, but I know it's dangerous and wrong). This is just one of the many reasons you see so many accidents at controlled intersections.

It is a bad idea to be the second or third car in the intersection waiting for the first car to make their turn because, just as you suggested, they don't always make it through before the light turns red and then they're stuck obstructing the intersection.

However, it is not an offence (red light or otherwise) to be already in the intersection when the light turns red.