What To Know About Red Light Crashes

Drivers who run red lights in Shreveport or elsewhere in Louisiana can be responsible for crashes that result in serious and life-threatening injuries. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI), red-light running happens more frequently than you might think and is responsible for “hundreds of deaths and tens of thousands of injuries each year.” If you or someone you love got hurt in a collision that involved a red-light runner, it is important to seek advice from a Shreveport traffic crash lawyer who can help you to seek compensation for your injuries. It may be possible to file a lawsuit against the driver who ran the red light, and any other party who may share responsibility for the crash.

How to Define Red-Light Running 

What is red-light running? According to the IIHS and HLDI, red-light running can be defined as any circumstances in which a “vehicle enters an intersection any time after the signal light has turned red.” In addition, red-light running can also include situations where motorists who are turning right on red fail to come to a stop before turning. The IIHS and HLDI cite studies that suggest a driver runs a red light every 20 minutes at any given intersection, and that red-light running happens more often during “peak travel times.”

Getting the Facts About Red-Light Running

To be sure, the IIHS and HLDI report that more than 900 people were killed in red-light crashes in 2020 alone and more than 116,000 people suffered injuries in these collisions. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) cites numbers that are even higher, reporting that approximately 165,000 vehicle occupants, bicyclists, and pedestrians suffer injuries in red-light collisions annually.

What kinds of drivers run red lights most often? Data from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety suggests that younger male drivers tend to run red lights more frequently than other motorists, as do alcohol-impaired drivers. In addition, motorists who speed are also more likely to run red lights. The FHWA cites some additional facts and figures pertaining to red light running:

• Red light running is one of the most dangerous types of crashes and has the highest rate of injury for the occupants inside the vehicle that runs the red light;
• About 50 percent of all people killed in red light crashes are pedestrians, bicyclists, and occupants of other vehicles who are struck by the red-light runner;
• As many as 1 out of every 3 drivers admit to running a red light at least once in the last 30 days even though about 93 percent of motorists described red-light running as “unacceptable”; and
• Red-light running results in economic costs of more than $230 billion each year.

Red Light Cameras May Provide Evidence in Your Case

 Louisiana, like many other states, permits the use of red light cameras. These cameras are designed to capture motorists who run red lights. When a red light camera captures a driver who violates the law and runs a red light, you may be able to obtain the image from the red light camera to use as valuable evidence in your case. When you hire Rice & Kendig, LLC, we will obtain that evidence for you.

Contact a Shreveport Auto Collision Lawyer 

If you need assistance with a red-light running collision claim, one of the Shreveport auto accident lawyers at Rice & Kendig, LLC can help.

Sources:

iihs.org/topics/red-light-running

safety.fhwa.dot.gov/intersection/signal/fhwasa11016.pdf