Running a Red Light penalties?

Heythere

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Feb 24, 2005
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Anyone know what the penalty is for going through a Red Traffic Light? I?m sure there is a fine but I also heard that the offender has to attend a 6-hour talk? Anyone know if that is true??
 

jrhartley

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Sep 10, 2008
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you get fined whatever they feel like charging.... if you are polite and smile a lot sometimes they just wave you on.Pretend you dont know any spanish even if you do and hope they dont speak any English they will get frustrated and move on to the next one....or you could try just following the highway code and not run a red light
 

bluemoonnyc

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Oct 4, 2007
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I thought running red lights got you a pat on the back and an atta boy,,,thats the way it seems anyway
 

SKY

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Apr 11, 2004
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you get fined whatever they feel like charging.... if you are polite and smile a lot sometimes they just wave you on.Pretend you dont know any spanish even if you do and hope they dont speak any English they will get frustrated and move on to the next one....or you could try just following the highway code and not run a red light

You could follow the highway code, but if you stop for reds all the time eventually you will get hit from behind.
 

NotLurking

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Jul 21, 2003
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Sto Dgo Este
Los nuevos montos

Multas de RD$530. Sin licencia, licencia vencida, no portar licencia, sin marbete de seguro, sin matr?cula, sin placa , sin revista, sin tablilla, sin casco protector, carros piratas, obstrucci?n del tr?nsito, estacionar en sitios prohibidos, violar las se?ales de tr?nsito, transitar en v?a contraria, violar la se?al de pare, una placa, persona sobre la carga, ruido, no exhibir placas en su lugar, luz delantera apagada, luz trasera apagada, sin espejo retrovisor, sin extinguidor, falta de botiqu?n, sin bandera roja, sin tri?ngulo, sin placa de exhibici?n.

Multas de entre RD$530, RD$600, RD$884. Luz roja, viraje en U, conducci?n temeraria.

Multas de entre RD$530 y RD$600. Uso distinto de matr?cula, color distinto de matr?cula, aditamento de placa,

Multas de entre RD$530 y RD$700. Cargas sin lonas, remolques, lanzar desperdicios en v?as p?blicas, transitar por la acera.

Multas de RD$884. Conducir en estado de embriaguez, veh?culo pesado en zona prohibida, exceso de velocidad, exceso de pasajeros, falta de cintur?n de seguridad, uso de celular, menores de ocho a?os en asiento delantero (excepto camioneta de una cabina), transitar por t?neles y elevados. En los montos anteriores las multas m?s costosas eran las de conducir sin el cintur?n de seguridad y hablar por el celular, por las que se pagaban RD$500, las dem?s eran de entre RD$25 y RD$50.


Source: Santiago Digital - NOTICIAS NUEVAS

NotLurking
 

jrhartley

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Sep 10, 2008
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they also seem to have some traffic lights that are only used occassionally to trap the unwary - such as the ones in sosua abajo .Sometimes they put them on red all day waiting for people to go through them sometimes they are not on at all ..Im still not sure why they are there at all
 

AK74

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Jun 18, 2007
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standing waiting at red light when there is no other traffic is stupid. wasting gas. contaminating and pollutingf air. creating noise for nearby houses. accumulating congestion. but powers and authorities want to keep us standing at red light to make sure we are obedient, not independently thinking and not dangerous to establishment.

Red light (especially at night time, without vehicles around) - is means of control over people. To keep in check.

Going through red with no other cars around should not be punished. It is undemocratic, against common sense and personal freedom and totally irrational economically and environmentally.
 

dv8

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Sep 27, 2006
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the only person i've heard of who was fined for red light was a lady who got a ticket for "obstructing the traffic" after she stopped on red lights. true story.
i don't jump red lights, crossings are scary enough even when you drive with your green lights on...
 

A.Hidalgo

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Apr 28, 2006
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Los nuevos montos

Multas de RD$530. Sin licencia, licencia vencida, no portar licencia, sin marbete de seguro, sin matr?cula, sin placa , sin revista, sin tablilla, sin casco protector, carros piratas, obstrucci?n del tr?nsito, estacionar en sitios prohibidos, violar las se?ales de tr?nsito, transitar en v?a contraria, violar la se?al de pare, una placa, persona sobre la carga, ruido, no exhibir placas en su lugar, luz delantera apagada, luz trasera apagada, sin espejo retrovisor, sin extinguidor, falta de botiqu?n, sin bandera roja, sin tri?ngulo, sin placa de exhibici?n.

Multas de entre RD$530, RD$600, RD$884. Luz roja, viraje en U, conducci?n temeraria.

Multas de entre RD$530 y RD$600. Uso distinto de matr?cula, color distinto de matr?cula, aditamento de placa,

Multas de entre RD$530 y RD$700. Cargas sin lonas, remolques, lanzar desperdicios en v?as p?blicas, transitar por la acera.

Multas de RD$884. Conducir en estado de embriaguez, veh?culo pesado en zona prohibida, exceso de velocidad, exceso de pasajeros, falta de cintur?n de seguridad, uso de celular, menores de ocho a?os en asiento delantero (excepto camioneta de una cabina), transitar por t?neles y elevados. En los montos anteriores las multas m?s costosas eran las de conducir sin el cintur?n de seguridad y hablar por el celular, por las que se pagaban RD$500, las dem?s eran de entre RD$25 y RD$50.


Source: Santiago Digital - NOTICIAS NUEVAS

NotLurking

Thanks again. Very informative.
 

Chirimoya

Well-known member
Dec 9, 2002
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In Santo Domingo it is legal to cross on red after 11pm (or is it midnight?).
 

AK74

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In Santo Domingo it is legal to cross on red after 11pm (or is it midnight?).[/Q

One of many reasons why we run from US to this country. In NY you will be arrested at 5 A.M. with no single vehicle in a distance of two miles from you.
 

jrhartley

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Sep 10, 2008
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I would like to know why people who move here from other countries suddenly become really bad drivers and forget everything they learnt (sorry my father was a driving instructor)
 

Lambada

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but I also heard that the offender has to attend a 6-hour talk? Anyone know if that is true??

They were certainly talking about this (no pun intended) in June 2007
El Nacional, la voz de todos

But it wasn't one 6-hour talk :). It was a series of Saturday lectures intended to improve driving skills.

There was also talk that if you didn't attend you would be 'named & shamed' - this article was from Sept. 2007
El Nacional, la voz de todos

Whether these went the same way as the breathalysers I've no idea. Maybe a judge has to send you to the 'talks'?
 

Bayx-**

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May 30, 2008
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I'm glad heythere brought this question up because I wanted to post it myself.

A few months ago a friend and I were coming from Charamico and we got pulled over in front of the supermarket "El Playero" in Sosua. We look at each other in disbelieves because we did not know why we got pulled over.

So my friend who was the driver pulled over to the side and ask the officer why did he pulled her over and he said you when through the red light and you need to go to the office to see the commander. She was in shook and say to the officer no there must be a mistake the light was green I had never gone through a red light in my life. We politely ask for a break, but he did not want it hear it. So we when to see the commander, but he was in the office.

So the girl at the office asked for the car documents the key and. My friend gave her the documents and a copy of her passport and the girl said I need your original passport. So I said the officer could you please tell me what the fine is for going through a red light and could you just please give this lady a break the light was green.

No I can’t do that you have to speak to the commander and the penalty for going through a red light is jail time and a fine for $800 pesos so as you can see she already got her break she is not in jail. I said to her since when because I never heard of any body going to jail for going through a red light. She said there has been a lot of campaigns about it and it been on the newspaper. So show me something in writing because I don’t believe it. At time my temperature stared rising and the conversion got ugly.

She said the gringos comes and disobey the law, but they don’t it in their own country and we need to teach them a lesson. I just took a big breath and said to her Oh My God I can’t not believe what you just said…. you are just ignorant I think is best we stop this conversation here before it get worst …. No it won’t…. I’ am well trained to handle any complaints. I answered her back….. Yes I see and don’t you forget I’m a Dominican born and rise here unlike my friend who is from the UK and does not understand the language well.

So after that I told her to give me ticket we were going to pay it and get my friend passport. She explained that we need it to go to the Ficalia “District Attorney Office” to pick up a release form and then bring it to the bank to be able to pay the ticket. So I explain to my friend what needed to be done for her to get the car back. She panic and wanted to call a lawyer I said no a lawyer would just take your money and run believe me let’s try do it are self.

So we picked the passport and when to the “Ficalia” and guess what… it was close… it was a Saturday. Someone subjected we when to the bank anyway. When we got there the teller said she was unable do it without that form from the “Ficalia.” but she tried anyway which it was nice.

So we went back to the office ready to have another confrontation with that very rule girl. I was just preparing myself to let her have it. To my surprised the commander was back so I asked to speak with him. I explained to him what happened and he immediately started defending his staff…well if the officer said she went through the red light I believe him… is your word against his. I said to him this is one of the reasons why DR has such as bad reputation…..you treat the foreigners with disrespect. This lady is donating her time to help the less fortunate and help the community and what does she get and return….a slap on the face. I bet if it was a Dominican or criminal with connection he would be out here long time ago. You people are ungrateful.


So finally, after all the trouble he agrees to let her take her car and return on Monday to pay the fine. He reassured me that he was not doing it because who she was…but instead because he wanted too. So we thanked him and left. We only lost haft of day.
I wanted to send him a thank you card, but I don’t think he deserved it after that last comment he made.

So be careful with the traffic lights it will cost you time and money. It goes to show you how dysfunctional this country is. It takes courage and patient to live here.

Bayx
 

jrhartley

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Sep 10, 2008
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that would be the light im talking about in sosua abajo that they only use when they need to fine someone-
 

AK74

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Jun 18, 2007
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that would be the light im talking about in sosua abajo that they only use when they need to fine someone-

well known. they set up check point there each time they need money. i keep several hundred bills in the car just for them. After 9 p.m. usually.

i prefer to pay $6-$8 for shooting red light in a "corrupted" country than $1500
for the same event in a "not corrupted" one (calculating in also insurance premium increase for three years on each car in the household)
 

Robert

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Jan 2, 1999
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What they did was totally illegal. They cannot retain your documents for a traffic offense, unless you kill someone or someone is injured.

If this ever happens again, tell them to give you the ticket and stand your ground.
If they persist, pick up your phone and call your local embassy representative and make them very aware what your doing.

Also...

Make sure you get their names and badge numbers and post them here on DR1.

I'm happy to make certain people aware of what some cops are doing.
 

owls90

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Mar 6, 2008
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I was pulled over for running a red light (not really sure it was red since I was in a whole line of cars making a left turn) in SD with my wife, Dominican but lived in US for 10+ years, in the car.

The police officer said the fine was 6000 pesos, and we needed to pay him or I could wait in jail until we paid. We only had 2500 pesos in cash and he said big problem - he "called" his superior who told him to just take the 2500 pesos.
And then he gave us directions to where we were headed like no big deal.
We were basically shaken down by the police for all of our cash.
And it was 9 am on a very busy street in the middle of the capital.

I just consider it a tourism tax. or having a white face tax.
 

AK74

On Vacation!
Jun 18, 2007
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Gene - for President!

I

I just consider it a tourism tax. or having a white face tax.


totally agree. gringo should not drive car in this country. especially clean late models. way too many non-obvious risks and possible very creative set ups.

potentially lethal time bomb in waiting.

with every year here i try to drive less and less. especially after dark.

being related to car business in this country i could write a book. best seller. way more exciting than any thriller scy-fy.


you paid alot. true. in many years here i never paid more than 400rd being drunk no seat belts and no neither placa nor matricula nor any documents at all. at 2 a.m. military check point. same spot between el batey and s.abajo.


are you woman? in this country there is no matriarchate yet and woman-driver is not very always appreciated.

do not think that i hate women! i love women!!

and Gene is the best of all!