For most experienced drivers it may seem like a simple concept, but during the first week of August each year, we celebrate “Stop on Red Week”.
The Federal Highway Administration created the campaign in 1995 for one main reason – a shocking number of deaths and injuries related to red light accidents.
Drivers who run red lights were responsible for an estimated 11,877 crash-related deaths between 2004 and 2018, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). There were 846 people killed in 2018 alone, when an estimated 139,000 people were injured in crashes related to a red light accident.
Stop On Red Week is observed in August to educate the public and bring awareness to the number and severity of intersection crashes. This event provides a great opportunity to promote safe driving and remind drivers of the dangers of running red lights.
Here are just a few key reasons to make sure we “Stop on Red”:
- One in three Americans know someone who has been injured or killed in a red light running crash.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 was a very serious threat.
- The cost to society of all crashes exceeds $230 billion annually.
