Untitled Document

Seeing red when drivers race through intersections

Brent Jennings, PE
Highway Safety Manager
Today, I believe almost all students in elementary school understand that a red light at an intersection means stop. At times I wonder if adults have lost the meaning of this simple concept.

Red-light running is a serious problem in Idaho – one that is fatal. In Idaho, as well as the United States, red-light running is a leading cause of urban collisions. In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that more than 8,700 people in the United States were killed in intersection or intersection-related crashes in 2009. More than two-thirds of the victims of these collisions at signalized intersections are pedestrians, bicyclists, and other drivers – someone other than the careless driver who chose to speed through a red light.

Red-light running has a horrendous impact on those who are involved in the crashes, as this action greatly impacts families, friends, and entire communities.

I was chatting with member of the Boise Police Department the other day and he shared with me their strategy to combat red-light runners. The strategy is intense, is truly a team effort and points to the fact red-light running is serious.

As highway safety partners, we must promote a community approach to eliminate red-light running year round – one that combines the proven technology available to us, increased driver awareness programs and elevating the red-light running issue throughout our state as well as the rest of the nation. Changing the culture that running red-lights is not acceptable can take time, but is worthy of the effort in order to achieved sustained results.

Idaho must continue to develop driver awareness programs that includes the impacts associated with red-light running. These efforts must include sharing the facts, advocating for strict enforcement of intersection laws and reminding drivers of the consequences of red-light running. Working with local communities to elevate the serious issue of red-light running is the key as together we all work Towards Zero Deaths.