Next month, federal transportation safety authorities will kick off a campaign that is aimed at helping motorists understand the dangers of running red lights. The campaign hopes to avoid serious personal injuries suffered by motorists and pedestrians each year by persons failing to obey traffic control signals.
Violation of stop lights is a major traffic offense that is responsible for thousands of car accidents every year. According to some estimates, every year, close to 1,000 people are killed in more than 100,000 car accidents caused by motorists who run stop signs. These are some of the more common violations, and are responsible for many deadly intersection accidents annually. More than 50% of the people killed in these car accidents are pedestrians, bicyclists or passengers in vehicles involved in the accident. These are absolutely devastating auto accidents, and very often, also high-speed accidents.
Next month will see a special commemoration aimed at preventing such accidents. Stop On Red Week is marked during the first full week in August every year. In 2024, that first week falls between August 4 and August 10. The very first Stop On Red Week was commemorated by the Federal Highway Administration in 1995, and every year, during this week, the federal administration along with the National Safety Coalition promotes greater awareness of the dangers of driving recklessly or violating traffic safety rules. The Federal Highway Administration estimates that between 2004 and 2018, there were close to 12,000 car accident wrongful deaths caused directly by motorists running red lights.
Red light camera systems that can flag violators have, to some extent, reduced the number of motorists who flagrantly violate safety violations and continue to drive through red lights. However, the number of car accidents caused by these violations every year is still too high to tolerate.
The National Safety Council is encouraging Americans to get involved in participating in Stop On Red Week this year. Make sure that traffic safety is an ongoing topic of conversation in your home. This year, mark Stop On Red Week by discussing the need for obeying all traffic rules, including stop signs and red lights, with your teenage child. As a motorist, leave the house with plenty of time to spare to avoid situations where you might feel tempted to violate stop lights to reach your destination in time. Red lights play a very important part in regulating speeds and when these signs are violated, they can lead to high- speed, high- impact car accidents which often have devastating consequences like deaths and catastrophic personal injuries. Many of these auto accidents end in personal injuries that cause long term disabilities.
The Atlanta car accident lawyers at Katz Personal Injury Lawyers are dedicated to the representation of persons who have suffered injuries in car accidents in the metro Atlanta region and across the state of Georgia. If you or a loved one have suffered injuries in an auto accident, talk to an attorney at our firm and discuss your legal options for a claim for damages. You may qualify for damages that include medical costs, lost income, pain and suffering and other forms of compensation. Talk to an attorney at our firm and discuss your case. Initial consultations are free.