According to AAA, drivers running red lights jumped almost 30% from 2012 to 2017. (Photo: Shutterstock)
Deaths due to running red lights hit 10 year high!
A case for changing your own driving habits! Drive more defensively, do not take off on a green light. Proceed carefully.
It is also a sad statement about our inattentive driving habits! Put down your phones, don't use all the tech built into our cars - It can wait! I see accidents everyday on my drive to and from work. I saw an accident 2 days ago where both lanes of traffic where stopped and I could see people walking around ahead on the highway. All of a sudden I saw a small sedan and a minivan driving beside me on the emergency lane. Well, here was a lady lying in the roadway that people were assisting. But, evidently these two drivers had more important things to do than to be aware of this ladies safety first! Fortunately there was no place for them to go due to the lady and vehicle debris. Would you not think that the traffic here is not normally stopped...maybe an accident? Wish there had been an officer there to ticket them both.
This is very disturbing trend that impacts all of us in the roads - drivers, passengers, cyclist, and pedestrians. It is critical that you understand this increases risk adjust their behaviors accordingly. While you can't control the bad behavior of other drivers you certainly can change your own behaviors while driving to minimize your risk.
The number of people killed as the result of drivers running red lights has spiked sharply in recent years, according to an analysis of crash data by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. And, more often than not (almost 65% of the time), the victim is not the offending driver.
Statistics indicate that deaths caused by drivers running red lights jumped almost 30% from 2012 to 2017, the most recent year for which crash data is available. According to the AAA, impatient, distracted, and reckless drivers racing through red lights claim at least two lives every day across the United States.
The most recent crash data available shows that in 2017, there were 939 people killed in crashes caused by running red lights — a 10-year high.
“Drivers who decide to run a red light when they could have stopped safely are making a reckless choice that puts other road users in danger,” said Dr. David Yang, the foundation’s executive director. “The data shows that red light running continues to be a traffic safety challenge. All road safety stakeholders must work together to change behavior and identify effective countermeasures.”
According to the AAA Foundation:
- 28% of crash deaths that occur at signalized intersections are the result of a driver running through a red light.
- Per capita, Arizona has the highest rate of red light running fatalities, while New Hampshire has the lowest rate.
- Nearly half (46%) of those killed in crashes caused by running red lights were passengers or people in other vehicles, and more than 5% were pedestrians or cyclists. Just over 35% of those killed were the drivers who ran the red light.
Eighty-five percent of drivers said that they view red light running as very dangerous, yet nearly one in three said that they blew through a red light within the past 30 days when they could have stopped safely, according to the AAA Foundation’s latest traffic safety culture index.
We are all effected by this trend both in the human life lost and by increased auto insurance rate increases. Please drive more defensively, It can wait!
You can get ahold of me at 816-702-8304 if you need help with any of your insurance needs.
Have a safe afternoon.