Running a red light can have the same serious consequences as drinking and driving - serious injury or death. More than a million intersection crashes occur each year and several thousand of those crashes result in fatalities. Our program relies on research into police records of automobile crashes at intersections. What's frightening is that during the past several years, the number of fatal crashes at intersections nationally has jumped 19 percent, and red light running is the single most frequent cause of such crashes. That's why our grassroots program to stop red light running is so important.
Road rage is an important factor in some red light running crashes.
That's why we all must be particularly careful when approaching intersections. It's our goal in the Stop Red Light Running Program to encourage all drivers to observe traffic signals, drive at the proper speed, slow on a yellow light and be aware of other motorists. The Federal Highway Administration created Stop Red Light Running in 1995. In 1998, the American Trauma Society and DaimlerChrysler joined the team to bring the program nationwide. Early results show that this program has raised awareness of the dangers of red light running by as much as 60 percent and reduced crashes in some communities by as much as 43 percent.