'Stop On Red Week'
24 September 1999
Federal Highway Administration, DaimlerChrysler and American Trauma Society Announce 'Stop On Red Week' 'National Stop On Red Week' Reminds Drivers to Stop On Red
WASHINGTON, Sept. 23 -- U.S. Transportation Secretary
Rodney E. Slater today announced the results of a survey by the Stop Red Light
Running partnership revealing that 98 percent of Americans agree that red
light running is dangerous, but over half admit deliberately running red
lights because they are in a hurry.
The release of the survey marks the second annual "National Stop on Red
Week," which runs from Sept. 24 to Oct. l. The program is a public/private
partnership between the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the American
Trauma Society (ATS) and DaimlerChrysler Corporation.
"I applaud this partnership and participating communities for their
efforts to improve safety, which is President Clinton's highest transportation
priority," Secretary Slater said. "Observing red lights can prevent tragic
injuries and deaths of pedestrians and motorists alike."
The research also provides new evidence that red light runners do not
conform to a set demographic -- the dangerous practice reaches across drivers
of all age, economic groups and gender. The perpetrators are everyday
people; professionals, blue-collar workers, unemployed, homemakers, parents,
and young adults.
According to U.S. Department of Transportation statistics, drivers who run
red lights are involved in 89,000 crashes a year, inflicting 82,000 injuries
and nearly 1,000 deaths. In addition, from 1992 to 1998, the number of fatal
crashes at intersections has increased by 16 percent, while all other types of
fatal crashes have increased by only five percent.
"These numbers remind me of the state of affairs some years ago with drunk
driving, where a lot of otherwise decent people knew better, but did it anyway
because they didn't realize how truly perilous it was," said ATS Executive
Director Harry Teter. "So the message is clear -- we've got to do a better
job of 'consciousness raising' -- of making people aware that running red
lights simply is not acceptable."
Although, social scientists involved with the survey hypothesized that
"frustration" and "road rage" would represent what most people perceived as
the cause of red light running, the results proved otherwise. Only 15.8
percent of respondents cited those reasons, while nearly half (47.8) admitted
to being prompted by nothing more complicated than being in a hurry.
"Red light running is not only rude, it's life threatening," said Susan
Cischke, DaimlerChrysler vice president for vehicle safety and regulatory
affairs. "It has the same effect as driving under the influence in terms of
probability of serious injury and death."
The survey focused on what drivers reported to be their red light running
behaviors, as opposed to what they believed about red light running. Overall,
55.8 percent of the respondents admit running red lights. Those in lower
technology (68.3) and blue-collar jobs (59.7), as well as unemployed (68.8),
and non-parents (65 percent) reported significantly more red light running
than respondents in other categories.
Professionals (59.7) and homemakers (54.8) also rank high. Parents with
children less than 20 years old (65.6) are likely to run red lights more than
parents of older children (40.8). Respondents with bachelors and post-
graduate degrees rank at 58.4 and 56 percent respectively.
The survey also found that a majority of drivers (80.5) were more
frustrated with discourtesy on the roads than they were with any other traffic
problem, including congestion.
The poll was conducted by the Social Science Research Center at Old
Dominion University and has a margin of error of plus or minus three
percentage points. It queried 880 licensed drivers ages 18 and older on
behalf of the Stop Red Light Running program.
This year's National Stop on Red Week is "A Call to Action" to encourage
more traffic safety advocates, law enforcement agencies, hospitals, law makers
and others, to help raise awareness about the danger of running red lights.
Communities across the country are raising awareness of red light running
through press conferences, increased enforcement, and distribution of
educational materials and other activities. The Stop Red Light Running
program provides those interested in promoting highway safety with step-by-
step guides for program development and grants for local implementation.
Additionally, a toll-free number (877-STOP-555) and a Web site
( http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/stoprlr ) are available for further information.
For more information, contact Virginia Miller of Federal Highway
Administration (FHWA), 202-366-6056, or Harry Teter of American Trauma Society
(ATS), 800-556-7890, or Sheila Gruber McLean, 248-512-2986 and Kimberly
Shults, 312-729-4286, both of DaimlerChrysler.
