Although intersections are designed to keep motorists safe, they can only keep people safe when rules are followed. When people run red lights or stop signs, they compromise the safety of intersections. Consequently, red light running leads to serious and even fatal crashes, and it happens more than you may think.
Hundreds of people die and thousands of people suffer injuries every year in side-impact crashes that involve red light running. In fact, in 2014, 126,000 people were injured and 709 people lost their lives due to red light runners, according to the Insurance Institute for Traffic Safety. Sadly, more than half of the people who died in these crashes were bicyclists, pedestrians, and other motorists hit by drivers who ran red lights.
Although most people feel that red light running is unacceptable, seven percent of drivers have admitted to blowing through a red light in the past month, according to a survey from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. Not only is running a red light illegal, but it threatens the driver’s safety and the safety of everyone sharing the road with that driver.
It’s horrifying to think about, but approximately every twenty minutes, a driver will run a red light. And what’s even more disturbing is that red light running occurs more often at peak travel times, according to an IIHS study that was conducted at five busy intersections in Fairfax, Virginia.
Because traumatic injuries can occur as well as lives lost as a result of people who fail to stop at red lights, we have taken this opportunity to write this blog in honor of Stop on Red Week. We want to encourage people to allow themselves more time to get to their destinations. Did you know that one of the main causes of red light running is due to people being in a hurry? One of the other main reasons people run red lights is due to alcohol, which is why we also want to urge drivers to designate a driver or use Uber or Lyft.
Please share this blog with your friends and family on your favorite social media site. You never know whose life you may save by reminding the people you know and love about the dangers of running red lights.
