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Floridians See Red, and Many Ignore It

11 January 1999

Floridians See Red, and Many Ignore It

               Florida Observes 'Stop! Red Light Running Week'

    TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Jan. 8 --  A number of Florida drivers are
forgetting one of the most basic rules of the road -- stopping at red lights.
    Whether it's forgetfulness, carelessness or outright defiance, motorists
who ran red lights in Florida in 1997 caused 11,723 crashes, 15,863 personal
injuries and 126 deaths.  In that same year, red light running cost Floridians
an estimated $388 million in medical bills, property damage and lost
productivity and wages.  In response to these startling statistics, the second
annual "Stop! Red Light Running Week," will take place Jan. 10-16, 1999.
    During this week, law enforcement agencies will be on the lookout for
traffic signal violators in support of a statewide public awareness campaign
sponsored by the Florida Community Traffic Safety Team Coalition (CTST).
Florida's first "Stop! Red Light Running Week" in 1998 resulted in 5,568
citations and 1,004 warnings issued to red light runners.
    In 1999, the CTST welcomes the support of the American Trauma Society
(ATS), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and DaimlerChrysler Corporation,
all three of which are responsible for the "Stop! Red Light Running" program
on the national level.
    Recent studies reflect the need for heightened awareness of Florida's red
light running problem.  A survey conducted by the ATS and FHWA shows that
three of four Floridians see other drivers run red lights almost every day.
The study also found that:

    -- 97 percent of Floridians fear a red light runner will hit them when
       they enter an intersection.

    -- About 72 percent said they feel that the problem of drunk driving has
       gotten worse or stayed the same in Florida, but 85 percent feel that
       the problem of red light running has gotten worse or stayed the same
       over the past few years.

    -- 61 percent of Floridians answered that the most common reason they ran
       red lights was that they were in a hurry.

    In addition, one in three Florida drivers said they personally know
someone who has been injured or killed in a red light running crash -- similar
to the percentage of people who know someone killed or injured by a drunk
driver.
    "The numbers suggest that, although people feel it's wrong to run red
lights, they're still doing it," says Harry Teter, executive director of the
ATS, a national organization of hospital trauma centers.  "Along with
DaimlerChrysler and DOT, and the CTST in Florida, we are teaching motorists
that running red lights can have the same outcome as driving under the
influence of alcohol -- injuries and deaths."
    "When you're behind the wheel, you have to ask yourself, are the few
seconds I will save really worth the risk of taking someone's life?" stated
Chris Robinson, Manager of the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT)
Community Traffic Safety Program.
    "Florida has a real problem with red light running," said Sgt. Jim Suber,
who has seen numerous red light running crashes during his 24 years with the
Jacksonville County Sheriff's Office.  "Every driver has to be responsible
behind the wheel, and realize that red lights are designed to keep our
roadways safe -- not to keep you from your destination."
    Florida, the only state in the nation to have its own awareness week for
red light running, also participates in the "National Stop on Red Week."
Each year in the United States, more than one million intersection crashes
result in more than 500,000 injuries and 2,000 deaths.  Often, red light
running is a related factor in intersection crashes.