Auto Club Tells Motorists to Stop for Red-light Running Week
24 September 1999
Auto Club Tells Motorists to Stop for Red-light Running Week; Auto Club Joins National ``Stop on Red'' Campaign to Reduce Leading Cause of Traffic Crashes
SAN DIEGO--Sept. 23, 1999--The intersection of Ash Street and 4th Avenue is the most dangerous red light running intersection in the City of San Diego, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California.Six crashes occurred at the intersection in 1998, the latest year for which complete data is available from the California Highway Patrol.
The Auto Club is urging motorists to stop at red lights as part of National Stop on Red Week, which begins Friday. The goal is to educate the public about the dangers of red-light running.
"When drivers get to the point that they can't take the time to stop for red lights, they're really courting disaster," said Arline Dillman, Ph.D., the Auto Club's chief traffic safety expert. "This risky behavior endangers everybody on the road and significantly increases the number of traffic collisions."
The highest number of red-light running crashes tends to be at or near freeway entrances and exits, according to Auto Club research.
"Motorists could be taking on a `freeway driving' mentality before they actually reach the freeway, or keep driving like they're on the freeway when they are exiting," Dillman said. "Drivers have to be able to quickly adapt to new conditions, and too many aren't paying attention."
The Auto Club supports numerous law enforcement and traffic engineering efforts to reduce the number of red-light runners on the road. These techniques include special red-light enforcement, and redesign or fine-tuning of intersections including changing the timing of lights or constructing underpasses in place of intersections.
A new red-light running survey being released today by the Red Light Running Partnership, including the Federal Highway Administration, the American Trauma Association and Daimler-Chrysler, says that while 97.5 percent of California drivers believe that red-light running is a serious traffic hazard, 52.7 percent admit they run red lights.
According to the survey, the majority of those who run red lights do so because they are in a hurry.
"This thinking flies in the face of solid defensive driving techniques," Dillman said. "Motorists cannot afford to gamble that cross traffic will wait for them to speed through an intersection. The only action to take when a light turns red is to stop. It's the law and it could save a life."
Disregarding traffic controls is a leading cause of vehicle collisions in urban areas of the United States, accounting for 22 percent of all crashes, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The economic impact of these crashes is estimated at $7 billion each year in medical costs, time off work, insurance hikes and property damage, according to the institute.
The Automobile Club of Southern California, the largest affiliate of the AAA, has been serving members since 1900. Today, the Auto Club's members benefit by the organization's emergency road service, insurance products and services, travel agency, financial products, automotive pricing, buying and financing programs, automotive testing and analysis, trip planning services, highway and transportation safety programs and legislative advocacy. Information about these products and services is available on the Auto Club's Web site at www.aaa-calif.com.
