People in Maryland face a seemingly unending list of dangers when they take to the road. Whether in a passenger vehicle, on a motorcycle or bicycle, or on foot, the risks posed to them by other drivers are everywhere and they are real. Public awareness campaigns, driver education training and more all attempt to inform people about the importance of operating their vehicles safely yet too many choose to continue to drive drunk, text when behind the wheel and more.
A new study conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety took a look at the impact running red lights has made on accident fatalities in the United States. Overall, it was found that deaths in vehicle crashes attributed to at least one driver in the crash running a red light jumped by a dramatic 28% in the last seven years. More than 939 lives were lost in 2017 alone due to red light runners across the U.S.
States were ranked in order of the most deaths caused by red light running and Maryland was ranked in the number 18 position, meaning that only 17 other states experienced more deaths due to this action. In the 10 years spanning from 2008 through 2017, 147 people were killed after a driver failed to stop for a red light. More than six out of every 10 people who died were in a vehicle hit by the red light runner or were a passenger in the red light runner’s vehicle.
Clearly, running red lights needs to be identified as a danger that more drivers need to focus in an effort to stay safe on the road.
