Do you leave for work as late as possible, hoping to make up for lost time by driving fast? Is a yellow light a signal for you to speed up? Do you make quick right turns on red lights without checking behind you? You may change your crash-worthy habits after reading these stats from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:
In 2011, red light runners killed 714 people and injured 118,000, many of whom were pedestrians, bicyclists, and passengers in other vehicles. About 22 percent of all crashes in urban areas involved running the red light, making it the most common cause of accidents in such locations. About 39 percent of such crashes produced injuries.
Turning right on a red light can be dangerous for both pedestrians and bicyclists. In states that allowed right turns on red, collisions with pedestrians and bicyclists jumped by 43 to 123 percent after permission was given. Such incidents produced injuries about 93 percent of the time.
An effective way to reduce these types of crashes is through red light cameras. A 2011 Institute study found reductions of 24 percent for red light running fatalities and 17 percent for all other kinds of crashes in intersections with cameras. Reviews of multiple studies concluded that red light violation went down by half at intersections with cameras.
The obvious lesson here is one you received when you first learned to drive: slow down on a yellow light (note that some jurisdictions require one to stop on a yellow light, if not already in the intersection) and stop on a red. Even if you follow that rule to the letter, other drivers may not. So if you’re involved in a crash with them, please contact us right away. We want to be your personal injury attorney.
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