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Driving safety negatively affected by drivers running red lights

On Behalf of | Sep 20, 2019 | car accidents

One of the most dangerous things a driver can do is running a red light. This is a rising problem in Indiana and across the nation. Since drivers are functioning under the reasonable assumption that other drivers will adhere to the basic rules of the road, going through a red light can cause a collision with injuries and fatalities. Research is assessing this problem and people who have been affected by this kind of auto accident should be aware of the steps necessary to pursue a legal filing.

A new study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety indicates that red light violations and accompanying fatal auto accidents are on the rise. The latest statistics available are from 2017. In that year, there were 939 deaths after drivers ran through a red light. This is the most in 10 years.

It is also a 28 percent increase from 2012. Overall, there is an average of two deaths every day due to a driver going through a red light.

Despite the statistics, AAA is unsure as to why there has been such a notable increase in drivers running red lights and there has been so vast an increase when compared to overall road fatalities. There was a 10 percent rise in overall deaths on the road from 2012 to 2017 — far less than the 28 percent from red light crashes. Some potential reasons are more drivers being on the road, but it is difficult to connect running red lights to the number of drivers on the road. Distracted drivers are also a major concern.

For fatal intersection accidents, sometimes called, wrongful deaths, 28 percent were due to drivers going through red lights. Red light cameras are a solution that AAA suggests can be beneficial. Drivers are implored to exercise greater caution when approaching a traffic signal and to avoid possible dangerous behaviors like distracted driving and speeding.