A crash involving two cars in Coeur d’Alene seriously injured three people this Tuesday. Although the investigation into this crash is ongoing, Idaho State Police believe one of the drivers ran a red light.
According to the Coeur d’Alene/Post Falls Press, this crash happened at approximately 8PM on April 17, 2018 at the intersection between Ramsey and Golf Course roads. Allegedly, one driver sped through a red light while headed south on Ramsey Road and hit a truck.
Apparently the passenger in the vehicle that sped through a red light had a medical issue and was being transported to a hospital. Both people in this car weren’t wearing safety belts. The driver of the truck, however, was wearing a seat belt.
Once the police arrived on the scene, they transported all three victims to a local hospital. While both drivers are expected to make a full recovery, the passenger remains in the hospital with severe injuries.
America’s Unhealthy Habit Of Running Red Lights
Recent estimates suggest about 770 Americans die and another 137,000 are injured every year in accidents related to running a red light. If you include ignoring stop signs, running red lights is the most common reason for car crashes in the USA.
The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety released a fascinating survey in 2016 that found 93 percent of American motorists believe driving through a red light is “unacceptable.” Interestingly, about 36 percent of these same study participants also admitted to driving through a red light…within the last 30 days! It’s quite clear from this survey that most people have some work to do when it comes to stopping at red lights.
Safety officials in major cities across the USA have conducted tests to figure out just how often people run red lights. One study in Virginia examined five major intersections over a period of a few months and found that one driver ran a red light every 20 minutes. Another study looked into almost 20 intersections in four different states and found that approximately three cars ran a red light every hour.
Young male drivers with a history of traffic offenses and/or DUI were the most common demographic to drive through red lights. Often people who run through red lights don’t wear seat belts, are intoxicated, and/or don’t have a legal driver’s license.
How Safety Officials Are Tackling Red Light Epidemic
Safety crews around the nation are working hard to reduce these tragic stats by using new technologies. The one technology that’s gotten the most press in recent years is the red light camera. Anyone caught speeding through a red light with one of these cameras is immediately sent a ticket to his/her home address. To find out if traffic lights have these cameras in your hometown, check out https://www.photoenforced.com/
A few other solutions to this red light-running epidemic are to replace intersections with roundabouts and to increase the amount of time a yellow light appears on a traffic light.
Injured In A Car Crash?
If you’ve been injured in a crash due to another driver’s negligence, please feel free to give our Coeur d’Alene car accident lawyers a call. Driving through a red light is a serious offense and you deserve compensation for your injuries.
Don’t rely on insurance companies to get you everything you deserve in your time of need. Unfortunately, after any accident involving a serious injury, insurance companies will often attempt to limit or deny your claim and even blame you for some of your injuries in an effort to limit compensation.
During your free consultation we will go over all of your legal options and recommend options which are in your best interest.
