10 Reasons to Stop on RED

The National Coalition for Safer Roads (NCSR) has been warning drivers about the dangers of running red lights through their “Stop On Red Week” event. The week-long awareness program occurs yearly during the first week of August and is dedicated to sharing different aspects of safety, driving statistics, and other information.

They’ve released the top 10 reasons why you should always stop on red:

1. Red-light running is dangerous.
2. Between 2004-2013, an estimated 7,799 people were killed from red-light running incidents.
3. The cost to society of all crashes exceeds $230 billion annually.
4. One in three Americans know someone who has been injured or killed in a red-light running crash.
5. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children age 4 and the second leading cause of death for children age 3 and 5-14.
6. About half of the deaths in red-light running crashes are pedestrians, bicyclists and occupants in other vehicles that are hit by the red-light runners.
7. In 2013, more than 697 people were killed and an estimated 127,000 were injured in crashes that involved red-light running.
8. Motorists in urban areas are more likely to be injured in crashes involving red-light running than in any other type of crash.
9. Red-light runners are more than three times as likely as other drivers to have multiple speeding convictions on their driver records.
10. More than 36 percent of drivers continue to run red-lights and take risks, despite the fact that 55 percent of the participants said it is a very serious threat and 73 percent acknowledged that running red-lights is unacceptable.

The statistics are quite a downer. Given how cars have become more reliable and more safe, it is still depressing that the human element has not received a well deserved upgrade. Whether it’s urgency or lack of attention, we owe it to ourselves and everyone we share the road with to #StopOnRed.

Take the pledge at www.StopOnRedWeek.com