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DETROIT (AP) – The number of people killed by drivers at the red lights is at its highest level in 10 years, and AAA urges drivers and pedestrians to be cautious about traffic lights.
In 2017, according to the latest available figures, 939 people were killed by vehicles exceeding red lights, according to an AAA study on government accident data.
That's the largest number of deaths since 2008 and 28% higher than in 2012. According to AAA, two people are killed every day in the United States by drivers who do not get caught. do not stop at the signals.
"Drivers who decide to light a red light when they could have stopped safely are making a reckless choice that puts other road users at risk," said David Yang on Thursday. , Executive Director of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety (AAA).
AAA does not know why the numbers are rising or rising much faster than the total number of deaths on US roads. Since 2012, the total number of fatalities on the roads has increased by 10%, far less than the 28% increase in the number of deaths due to glowing traffic.
There are more people traveling more miles since the Great Recession, but that does not explain why red-light deaths are increasing faster, said Brian Tefft, Senior Researcher at the AAA Foundation. He added that he suspected that distracted driving had played a role, just like the traffic lights whose timing was not optimal, perhaps with a yellow warning cycle too short.
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"I wish we had a better answer than ours," he said, adding that the response was beyond the scope of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's fatal accident data study.
In its analysis, AAA also found that 28% of those killed in collisions at signal intersections were due to a driver who had burned a red light.
The car club recommends that governments use more red light cameras directly supervised by the authorities to strengthen law enforcement, where appropriate, and not to generate revenue.
It also states that drivers must be prepared to stop when they enter an intersection and press their brakes while approaching a fire to warn other drivers of a possible stop. AAA also recommends waiting a second after switching from a light to green before continuing and checking that passing traffic has been stopped.
AAA recommends that pedestrians and cyclists take a few seconds to make sure traffic has stopped before crossing a street. It also says to be visible, to make eye contact with the drivers and to be vigilant by not wearing headphones while walking or driving.
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