Will I get fined for driving through an amber traffic light?

It’s a common experience for drivers: as you approach an intersection and the traffic light turns amber, should you keep driving or to slow down to a halt? 

When is it OK to drive through an intersection on an amber traffic light? 

Drivers must slow down when the traffic signal turns amber, and as a general rule of thumb you must stop before the stop line, unless you are too close to do so safely. 

The official NSW Road Rules 2014 (Rule 57) says: “A yellow (amber) light means you must stop. You can only go through a yellow light if you cannot stop safely before the ‘Stop’ line.” 

Pressing the brakes too quickly may mean that the car behind you cannot react in time, which could result in rear-end crashes or other accidents. If you’re so close that stopping suddenly could cause a collision, then you may proceed, provided the intersection is clear and you entered safely. 

The amber traffic-light time settings must allow sufficient time for vehicles to stop at the stop line. As such, the time setting is governed by the speed limit and in some cases, by the grade of the approach to the stop line.  

The least amount of time that the yellow time setting can be on is 3 seconds, where the speed limit is 40km/hr on a level road. Typical time settings for relatively flat grades are as follows. 

Time settings for amber interval on downhill grades and speed limits (in seconds): 

If you are intrigued about finding out more about the operation of traffic signals, you can discover more information in the Traffic Signal Operation Document from Transport for NSW. 

What are the penalties for running amber lights? 

Failure to stop at an amber light when it is safe to do so will incur a $562 fine and 3 demerit points, and if within a school zone, a $704 fine plus 4 demerit points.  

Additionally, going through a traffic light once it has turned amber drastically increases your chances of being caught going through a red light, thanks to red-light cameras, the consequence of which is also an immediate $562 fine and 3 demerit points. If you choose to speed above the speed limit to avoid being caught by the red-light camera, an inbuilt red-light speed camera can catch you speeding at any time, no matter whether the lights are red, amber or green. 

These rules are the same in every state of Australia (although in Western Australia the regulation is listed as Reg 41 rather than Rule 57). Penalties vary from state to state: read more here about what fines cost across Australia.