Most Connecticut motorists have watched other drivers blow through red lights at some point or another due to cellphone use, negligence or something similar. Even if you count yourself among them, you may not fully understand just how frequently motorists run red lights at signaled intersections across the United States. The reality is, traffic deaths caused by drivers who run red lights are at their highest number of 10 years, indicating a need for increased vigilance among motorists.
According to AAA, drivers who blow through red lights cause an average of two fatalities every day in the United States, with 993 people losing their lives at the hands of red-light runners in 2017. This is a nearly 30% increase over the number of lives lost on account of red-light runners in 2012.
In many instances, the people dying in car wrecks resulting from other motorists blowing through red lights are not the negligent drivers, but rather, other people navigating the nation’s roads. Pedestrian and cyclist deaths account for about 5% of all deaths caused by red-light runners, for example. Another 46% of those who lost their lives in crashes caused by red-light runners were the people driving or riding in vehicles other than the one that went through the red light.
Motorists who blow through red lights are also responsible for a significant percentage of all traffic deaths that take place at signaled intersections in America. In fact, 28% of all fatalities occurring at traffic lights result from drivers running red lights. Find more about car wrecks on our webpage.
