SEMCOG: Red-Light Running Increasing As Factor In Fatal Traffic Crashes
LANSING (WWJ) - More than 3,400 crashes that occurred at signalized intersections in 2012 in southeast Michigan could have been avoided by one simple action -- stopping when a traffic light is red.
Twenty of those crashes resulted in 21 fatalities in 2012, which is up from seven fatalities the year prior, according to figures released by SEMCOG, the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments.
In 2012, 34,321 traffic crashes took place at signalized intersections in the region, up from 33,554 in 2011. The SEMCOG figures also show that 3,452 of those (more than 10 percent) involved red-light runners.
Paul Tait, SEMCOG Executive Director, said he hopes the statistics help to drive home the fact that there are "serious problems at lighted intersections."
"We're all in a hurry these days and especially distracted with cell phones and text messages, construction, and congestion," Tait said in a statement. "This is an urgent reminder to focus on the road and please remember to stop when the light is red. Even when the light is green for you, make sure that the vehicle with the red light has actually stopped before proceeding through the intersection."
The table below shows which communities have the most red-light running crashes based on a three-year average. Compared to total crashes in the community, the table also shows the percentage of crashes that involve red-light running.
Top 10 Communities with frequent Red-Light-Running (RLR), 2010-2012:
