The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office is staged at the intersection of Gosling Road and Woodlands Parkway from April 1st to April 4th, 2025 for what they’re calling “a targeted red light enforcement operation.”
Social media platforms like Reddit, NextDoor, and Facebook are saturated by concerned Montgomery County citizens complaining about dangerous red light runners in The Woodlands. Some have even shared body camera and dash camera footage from their personal vehicles showing crashes or near misses. Now, it seems law enforcement is prepared to do something about it.
Special operations aside, the waterway district in The Woodlands is one of the most heavily patrolled regions of the county as law enforcement agencies continue to hunt for intoxicated drivers. If the police see you run a red light anywhere in Montgomery County, you’re probably going to get pulled over. Law enforcement agencies may have noble intentions, but when the government ramps up enforcement, there is also the risk that rights may be violated or compromised.
Red lights are covered by §544.007(d) of the Texas Transportation Code, which states that “an operator of a vehicle facing only a steady red signal shall stop at a clearly marked stop line. In the absence of a stop line, the operator shall stop before entering the crosswalk on the near side of the intersection.”
Yellow lights are covered by §544.007(e) of the Texas Transportation Code, which states that an operator of a vehicle facing a steady yellow signal is warned by that signal that: (1) movement authorized by a green signal is being terminated; or (2) a red signal is to be given.
Notably, the law on yellow lights does not say you have to immediately begin to stop, slow down, or slam on the brakes. The yellow light is just a warning to proceed with caution. The law is written this way because lawmakers want to give people room to use common sense at intersections. Sometimes, the light changes to yellow at the last second, and you don’t have time to slow down. Other times, you can create a hazard at the intersection if you slam on the brakes when the lights turn yellow because cars behind you are forced to stop abruptly as well.
The most straightforward red light stop comes when a police vehicle is directly behind the offending vehicle. The light is clearly red and the suspected vehicle barrels right through the intersection. But, things aren’t always that simple – what about when a police officer approaches from an adjacent roadway? What if there is a very close call as the light turns from yellow to red? What if the officer does not get a good look at the specific red light? What about when the red light at issue does not appear on the dash camera footage even though the officer claims to have seen a law violation?
All of these questions demand an answer, and they make the issue of red light stops not always so straightforward. Plenty of people have sworn up and down that they didn’t run the red, or that the light was yellow, or that the police officer could not have seen it, and sometimes, the dash camera footage proves the citizen is right. The bottom line is this – we all need to be careful at intersections, but if you believe the police stopped you unfairly, Alsbrooks Law is ready to defend your rights.
To learn more about our services, including DWI defense in Montgomery County, call 936-202-2882 or fill out our quick contact form.