Submitted by Aiken Jacobsen on
Distracted driving significantly increases the risk of being in a car accident in California. Could the chances of getting in a car accident be due to more drivers running red lights? A new study suggests just that.
Twelve percent of motorists who ran red lights were using a cellphone behind the wheel, according to a study by the National Coalition for Safer Roads. The coalition said that amounts to more than 7 million red-light violations caused by distracted driving last year. The organization studied information from traffic cameras in California, Arizona and Colorado and found that cellphone use and distracted driving increases the chance of running a red light and getting into a car crash.
The California Highway Patrol has been trying to raise awareness to the dangers of distracted driving, and the new study has led to more safety groups starting campaigns about the dangers of distracted driving and running red lights. The National Coalition for Safer Roads has teamed up with the group FocusDriven to create the campaign "Stop Distraction on Red," which highlights the risk of running a red light when drivers use their cellphone. The groups hope that more drivers will become aware of the many hazards of using a cellphone while driving and take steps to become safer behind the wheel.
Running red lights is very dangerous and injures an estimated 165,000 people every year in the U.S., according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In addition, the agency reported that over 8,700 people were killed in accidents in intersections in 2009 alone.
Drivers should consider the dangers they face when they use their cellphone while driving and try to practice safe driving behaviors at all times because everyone's life may be at risk when drivers become distracted on the road.
Source: Times-Herald, "Red light runners, distracted driving often a deadly combination," Sarah Rohrs, June 19, 2013
