Statistics
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Traffic Safety Facts 2008 Report revealed a record of over 2.3 million reported intersection-related crashes. These accidents resulted in more than 7,770 fatalities and an estimate of 733,000 injury crashes. These figures were collected from 2008 alone. Even more alarming was that half of the people killed in red-light running crashes were not the drivers. They were pedestrians or other vehicles hit by the violators.
Why do people run red lights?
People can think of many excuses for running a red light. It’s dangerous and should be avoided. What are some of the reasons why people run red lights? Here are three reasons:
- Drivers losing patience. Driving school teacher Roileen Miller of Miller Driving School stated she had seen more drivers run red lights now than when she started teaching back in 1979. According to her, this was attributed to people losing patience. They are in a hurry to get to their destination. Therefore, they drive fast and consequently try to beat the light.
- Already reached the intersection. Miller further explained it is possible to know when the light is going to change. The first is when there is a gap in traffic and cars are stopped at the cross street. Once traffic sensors detect this gap, lights change. She also said that speed limits are used in determining how long a yellow light should last, to give drivers time to prepare for a stop. When drivers run a traffic light, she stated it could be because they were already in the intersection when the lights turned yellow.
- Too late to step on the brake. Miller also believed that drivers were likely to run a red light when they were already too close to the intersection to be able to stop safely. They proceed through the intersection rather than risking the driver behind hitting them, should they suddenly stop.
Don’t run red lights
Red-light running is more than just a form of aggressive driving. People die and get hurt because of it. Avoid running red lights. This is not only dangerous to you as the driver, but also to other drivers and pedestrians. You could be so focused on beating the red light that you don’t see a car turning through the intersection or a pedestrian crossing the street in front of you. To help protect yourself and other drivers and pedestrians, please always slow down to a stop when you see a light turn yellow. Don’t try to run the red light. Many traffic lights are short and last under one minute. You can wait an extra minute if it means saving a life.
As a Louisville, Kentucky Personal Injury Attorney, I want to remind everyone to never run a red light. You may be able to get away with it a few times, but it only takes once to get into an accident. Please don’t wait for an accident to happen before you start taking traffic signals seriously. Remember to always start to slow down when you see a light turn yellow and stop behind the intersection line on red.