Peril of Running Red Lights Shown by 37 Deaths

In an effort to highlight the dangers of running red lights, the Automobile Club of Southern California on Friday released data showing that 37 people were killed and more than 8,000 injured last year in Los Angeles after crashes caused by cars dashing through stoplights.

Citywide, 8,474 people were injured in 4,784 such accidents, the organization reported. The data offer a stark warning to motorists to avoid trying to slice a few seconds from their commutes by ignoring red signals, said Carol Thorp, an Auto Club spokeswoman.

“If you are rushed, what is five minutes to you compared to your life or an injury?” she asked.

The Auto Club released the figures, culled from California Highway Patrol statistics, just as many children prepared for a return to school and the Federal Highway Administration kicked off its “National Stop on Red Week” campaign.

The club also highlighted the intersections where the highest numbers of such accidents occurred. Drivers at Burbank Boulevard and Colfax Avenue in North Hollywood were the most likely to cause a crash by running a red light, with 11 accidents reported last year. There were nine such crashes at Santa Monica and Westwood boulevards in Westwood, and seven at Normandie Avenue and Torrance Boulevard in the Harbor Gateway area.

This is the first year that the Auto Club has compiled the accident figures, but officials said they plan to make annual comparisons.

Last September saw the highest number of injury crashes, 429, and Thorp speculated that motorists may become more impatient with increased traffic as children head back to school. The intersection at Santa Monica and Westwood boulevards is about five blocks from three schools, she said.

CHP Officer Wendy Moore drew a similar conclusion.

“It could be because school is starting and motorists have got to get in that process where they give themselves more time to get where they’re going,” she said.

Studies suggest that hurried drivers are the most likely to take chances as traffic signals turn red, Thorp said. Other violators just fail to realize that the light has changed, focusing instead on fixing their hair, switching radio stations or searching for a cassette, she said.

Although the number of citations given for driving under the influence fell slightly last year in California, the number handed out to drivers running red lights rose from 23,280 in 1996 to 25,345 in 1997, Moore said.

Success in reducing red light violations, Moore and Thorp said, may lie in copying educational campaigns that have targeted drunk driving.

“The solution is really easy,” Thorp said. “Stop at the red light. And yet it seems to be so difficult for people to internalize that.”

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Running on Red

The following intersections in Los Angeles had the most collisions in 1997 caused by drivers who ran red lights:

Intersections:

1. Burbank Boulevard and Colfax Avenue: Crashes-- 11

2. Santa Monica and Westwood Boulevards: Crashes-- 9

3. Normandie Avenue and Torrance Boulevard: Crashes-- 7

4. Arcadia and Los Angeles Streets: Crashes-- 6

Arlington Avenue and Pico Boulevard: Crashes-- 6

Imperial Highway and Olive Street: Crashes-- 6

Wilton Place and 8th Street: Crashes-- 6

5. Broadway and 54th Street: Crashes-- 5

Flower and 11th Streets: Crashes-- 5

Hill and 18th Streets: Crashes-- 5

Lassen Street and Reseda Boulevard: Crashes-- 5

Lindley Place and Olympic Boulevard: Crashes-- 5

Oxford Avenue and Union Avenue: Crashes-- 5

Winnetka and Plummer Avenues: Crashes-- 5

Rampart and Wilshire Boulevards: Crashes-- 5

Terra Bella Street and Woodman Avenue: Crashes-- 5

Wilshire Boulevard and Wilton Place: Crashes-- 5

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A month-by-month tally of 1997 crashes involving drivers running red lights and causing death and injury.

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Fatal Injury-causing Month crashes Deaths crashes Injuries January 6 6 393 710 February 3 3 337 594 March 1 1 384 693 April 3 3 422 750 May 2 2 382 685 June 1 1 390 691 July 3 5 416 777 August 4 4 421 747 September 2 2 429 723 October 4 4 423 703 November 3 3 406 723 December 3 3 381 678 TOTAL 35 37 4,784 8,474

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Source: Automobile Club of Southern California