National Stop on Red week

By Debbie Hersman

The 2012 National Stop on Red week is August 5th to August 11th and with more than 30,000 fatalities on the roadways each year, we can all improve our performance behind the wheel. This week reminds drivers to stop on red, rather than try to beat the light before it turns red.

This message seems so simple, yet each year hundreds of people are killed by red light runners.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that in 2009 red light running killed 676 people and injured an estimated 113,000. Nearly two-thirds of the deaths were people other than the red-light-running drivers — occupants of other vehicles, passengers in the vehicle, bicyclists, or pedestrians. In most states that were studied by the National Coalition for Safer Roads, evidence was found that the majority of red lights were run on Friday during the hours of 1 to 5 pm.

So next time, rather than trying to beat the light — stop. You won’t get anywhere quickly if you are involved in an accident.