5 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Run a Red Light

The first full week in August is National Stop on Red Week, so this blog is dedicated to showing you why it’s a bad idea to run a red light.

People run red lights for various reasons; they’re running late and can’t afford the delay, they thought they could make it through the yellow light and misjudged the timing, they couldn’t stop in time, they weren’t paying attention, no one was coming, or they really just don’t care. Whatever the reason, running a red light is never okay.

While there are several reasons to obey traffic lights, here are the top five reasons why you should never run a red light:

You Could Cause a Catastrophic Accident

In 2015, an average of two people died per day in accidents caused by running red lights; this amounts to around 800 deaths. Also, there are over 200,000 injuries caused by collisions resulting from red-light violations every year.

When you run a red light, you choose to save around 45 seconds in exchange for the high risk of causing an auto accident. Running a red light usually results in a T-bone accident in which one car hits the side of another. These are more dangerous than rear-end or frontal collisions because the sides of vehicles do not have as many protections which can withstand the force of the crash and minimize injury to the passengers.

Also, in most accidents caused by motorists running red lights, the injured party is not the defaulting driver but an innocent party who had the right of way, usually a cycle or pedestrian crossing the road at the intersection.

Running a Red Light is a Crime

Every driver owes a duty of care to other drivers to use the road safely. When you run a red light, you violate this duty of care and will be held personally responsible for any accidents that occur as a result of your reckless driving.

When you run a red light, you may face sanctions ranging from a simple traffic citation to facing criminal prosecution. You will likely be faced with a moving violation if the violation causes an accident. If the accident leads to severe injuries or loss of lives and property, you may face criminal prosecution. You may lose your license or face some jail time. If you’re a commercial driver, you will most likely lose your job.

With the technological advancements in recent times, which brought on traffic cameras, it is almost impossible to escape liability for running a red light. The cameras are set to capture any vehicle that moves past them after the lights have turned red.

Your Insurance Will be Responsible for Paying for the Damages
When your reckless driving causes an accident, other drivers and passengers affected are entitled to recover under your automobile insurance policy. The victim’s insurance will likely pay for repairs or medical bills up to $10,000 after which payments would be made out of your insurance policy. When your policy reaches its limit, you will be personally responsible for any payments which are left.

You May Lose Your Insurance

When you’re involved in an automobile accident that you caused by running a red light, your insurance premium is likely to go up, especially if you’re a repeat offender. If your provider thinks you’re too much of a risk, for instance, when you have several like accidents within three to six years, they may drop you altogether.

You Put Your Life and Property at Risk

When you run a red light, you knowingly put yourself at risk of a fatal accident. As you try to speed through the intersection, other motorists who now have the right of way are also doing the same, so there is a high risk that a collision would occur. If this happens, you are at risk of sustaining severe injuries, damaging your car, or losing your life. Whichever way it ends, it’s not worth the risk.

When you choose to run a red light, you not only put yourself in danger, you choose to endanger the lives of other road users. Red light running kills; to minimize the risk of dangerous accidents, break your habit of running red lights, slow down when you’re approaching an intersection and pay attention to the road.