At least nine people were injured, three of whom were children, in a crash involving three vehicles in Louisville’s Portland neighborhood. Witness stated that a truck was driving fast, ran a stop sign and then ran into a Sedan. The truck then flipped, while the Sedan hit an SUV and a tree. The truck was carrying two adults, while the Sedan had one adult and three children. The incident is under investigation by the police. According to a victim’s relative, interviewed by a WLKY reporter, no one was seriously hurt.
Related: Wrong-Way Crashes in Kentucky
We hope that everyone hurt recovers fast. To help prevent accidents like this, let’s all practice safe driving habits. Please avoid speeding and running stop signs.
Dangers of running stop signs
Running a red-light is among the biggest concerns in roadway safety today. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Traffic Safety Facts 2008 Report, 762 out of 7,770 were killed and 165,000 out of 733,000 were injured in red-light running crashes in 2008.
Related: What Happens If Both Parties Are At-Fault In An Accident?
Apart from those figures, here are three reasons why running stop signs is dangerous:
- Running a stop sign may cause crashes. When you run stop signs, chances are, you’ll hit another vehicle that’s rightfully entering the intersection. Worse, this may involve more vehicles should other cars fail to stop at a distance.
- Cyclists or pedestrians may get hurt. Stop signs for cars are go signals for pedestrians. When visibility is low, running stop signs becomes more dangerous as you might not see pedestrians or cyclists crossing intersections. Beware of your surroundings, watch the traffic signs and check to see if the road is clear before proceeding through an intersection.
- Finally, you could be ticketed. Running stop signs is a violation that could hurt your license. When you do get caught by the police, you may have to enter traffic school, which is an even bigger inconvenience.
As a Kentucky Accident Attorney, I would like to remind Kentucky motorists to please always stop for stop signs and approaching vehicles when crossing intersections. Stop signs are made to limit right-of-way and prevent road accidents, so let’s follow it. It’s for our own safety.