Running red lights leads to one of the most dangerous types of car accidents: the T-bone crash. The driver who is hit is often in the most danger since his or her vehicle is being impacted on the side door, where there simply isn’t as much protection. There may not be side airbags, and the vehicle has less physical mass to absorb the impact.
So, knowing the danger, why do people keep running right lights? When police were asked, they said they saw the following three reasons most often:
1. Distracted driving
The driver never saw the red light. Perhaps he or she was looking over and talking to a passenger. Maybe the driver was texting or playing games on a cell phone. Distracted driving leads to very easily avoidable car accidents.
2. Blatant disregard
When people are in a hurry, in some cases, they’ll just run a red light on purpose rather than waiting for it to change. They may check traffic first to see if they think they can make it, and then they’ll gun the engine and try to fit through a gap in oncoming traffic.
3. Tailgating
Some drivers claim they wanted to stop, but they were actively being tailgated by other drivers when the light turned red. They claimed they were worried about causing a rear-end accident by slamming on the brakes, so they went through a red light to avoid that accident — even though they could have caused a far more dangerous crash.
Have you lost a loved one to a red-light runner? If so, you may want to look into your rights to financial compensation for burial costs, medical bills and more.
Source: ABC 15, “Top 3 Reasons People Run Red Lights,” Jimmy Rhoades, Amanda Savage, accessed Aug. 28, 2017
