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Running of red lights becoming a dangerous problem in Springfield

NPR Illinois - 91.9 UIS

May 4, 2023, by Sean Crawford





The Springfield Police Department said Thursday drivers running red lights and causing accidents have increased in the city recently. Some of those have resulted in injuries and deaths.

The department said officers have been placed at high accident locations to address the problem. Police added they are taking a zero tolerance approach to running red lights.

To highlight the problem, the department mentioned a recent detail in the area of Veterans Parkway and West White Oaks, 27 citations were written for disobeying a traffic control signal.

“The Springfield Police Department is committed to the safety of the motoring public by performing specific data driven details,” the department said in a news release. “Additional traffic details to include speeding, distracted driving, impaired driving, and red light running will continue as part of the Springfield Police Department’s 2023 Traffic Safety Initiative.”

The Federal Highway Administration provides the following statistics:

1. You or your loved ones are more likely to be injured due to a red-light running related crash than any other type of crash.

2. Running a red light or other traffic control is the most common cause of all urban crashes.

3. Someone runs a red light an average of every 20 minutes at urban intersections.

4. In the last decade, red-light running crashes killed nearly 9,000 people.

5. An estimated 165,000 motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians are injured annually by red-light runners.

6. Half of the people killed by red-light runners are not the signal violators — they are passengers, other motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists.

7. Nearly 93% of drivers believe running a red light is unacceptable, yet 1 in 3 drivers reported doing so in the past 30 days.

8. There are an average of 7 fatal crashes and over 1,000 injury crashes EVERY DAY at signalized intersections across the United States.

9. The cost to society of all crashes exceeds $230 billion annually.

10. The tragedies and costs resulting from red-light running are preventable!


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