Unknowningly Running a Red Light

[aemaem0116]

I have a problem. Last week it was about 6:30 PM and I was driving home from the public library. As I was in downtown of the city I was currently in, I am stuck behind a huge white express bus (the biggest transit buses in the Seattle area). I'm following at a decent distance behind. It gets to an intersection and apparently this bus in front of me runs a yellow light, but I cannot see the traffic light at this point. When I was able to see it, it was green. Anyways, I follow this bus at a pretty good distance away and I'm driving through the intersection and none of the cars perpendicular are moving then when I'm about to exit the intersection, a jeep starts coming towards me (almost t-boning me). We both honk and I get out of the intersection. I'm pretty sure it turned red as I was in the middle of the intersection. When I'm out of the intersection all of the sudden I hear cop sirens and pull over. I'm ridiculously nervous because I've never been pulled over in my life, never sped, never been given a warning, etc. So this cop comes to my car and he says that I almost caused an accident and that I ran a red light. I told him I couldnt see the light because of the bus and he told me I was following too close, which I know for a fact I wasn't. The car coming towards me was most definitely committing negligence because when I went back to the intersection a day later, exactly where the car that had almost hit me was, the person could clearly see my car even at the beginning of my side of the intersection. Anyways, the officer kept cutting me off when I tried explaining myself and slapped me a ticket (no warning). I was obviously flustered because I started crying in front of him. That made no difference.

I really don't want this to go on my record and I don't want to pay the fine. I know I have the option of deferring it, but what's the $100 administrative fee I keep reading about? Even if I defer at ticket, I still have to pay $100??

If deferring it doesn't help, how can I fight it without it going on my record? Clearly my view was obstructed and I was not able to see and the accident almost happened because of the other car's negligent behavior, so I know that it was something that really wasn't my fault. What should I do?

 

[ChrisWarren57]

If you were following a bus into an intersection and the bus blocked your view of the traffic light, you were too close to the bus.

The main point here is that you entered the intersection without being able to see the traffic light. You guess that it must have been green or yellow, but you don't know because you couldn't see it. It could have been red. My best guess is that it was red. Otherwise, the cop would not have pulled you over.

A piece of non-legal advice: don't enter an intersection without 1) being able to see the traffic light, and 2) checking for cross traffic. If you should get t-boned, it will be bad news regardless of who may be at fault.