The Dangers of Running Red Lights: Why it’s a Habit You Need to Break

Are running red lights as a habit dangerous? Obviously, yes! You don’t need to be a car accident attorney to appreciate the dangers of running red lights.  Running a red light even once is dangerous. When that turns into a habit, it puts both the driver and other road users at risk. Unfortunately, running red lights habitually is all too common on our roads. According to a study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, red-light running is a leading cause of urban crashes, resulting in hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries each year. This behavior not only puts the driver at risk of accidents, it also endangers the lives of pedestrians, bicyclists, and other drivers on the road. In this post, we will discuss the dangers of running red lights and why it is a habit that needs to be broken.

• Red-light running is dangerous because it increases the risk of collisions. When a driver runs a red light, they are likely to collide with another vehicle, pedestrian, or bicyclist who has the right of way. The results of these collisions can be devastating, causing serious injuries or even death. In some countries, it is legal to turn right on a red light after stopping and checking for oncoming traffic.
• Running red lights also increases the risk of being involved in a hit-and-run accident. When a driver runs a red light, they may cause an accident, but instead of stopping to take responsibility, they may flee the scene. This leaves the victim without any help or support and makes it more difficult for law enforcement to find and prosecute the responsible party. Hit-and-run accidents are punished more severely than regular accidents because of the additional crime of fleeing the scene because they leave victims without reporting the crash.
• Not only it is dangerous for you, it also puts other drivers and pedestrians at risk. When a driver runs a red light, they are not only endangering themselves, but also endangering other drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists on the road. This behavior can cause serious accidents that result in injuries or death. Pedestrians have the right of way at crosswalks, but they are also required to obey traffic signals. In some cities, red-light cameras are equipped with speakers that can play a recorded message warning drivers not to run red lights.
• Many cities and states have laws in place to combat red-light running. For example, many areas have red-light cameras that take a photograph of the license plate of a vehicle that runs a red light. This can lead to fines and even license suspension. In some cities, the fines for red-light running can be as high as several thousand dollars.