ATS study claims distracted red-light running is on the rise

Analysis released during National Distracted Driving Awareness Month by American Traffic Solutions (ATS), Distracted on Red, showcases the dangers of distracted driving behaviour and impact on red-light running. ATS sampled data from 67 intersections with red-light safety cameras across the United States over a three-month period. Distractions were coded into several categories, including cell phone use, looking away, eyes closed, smoking, eating/drinking, reading and applying make-up. ATS data showed distr
April 22, 2016 Read time: 2 mins

Analysis released during National Distracted Driving Awareness Month by 17 American Traffic Solutions (ATS), Distracted on Red, showcases the dangers of distracted driving behaviour and impact on red-light running.

ATS sampled data from 67 intersections with red-light safety cameras across the United States over a three-month period.

Distractions were coded into several categories, including cell phone use, looking away, eyes closed, smoking, eating/drinking, reading and applying make-up. ATS data showed distracted red-light running increased by 58 per cent from 2012 to 2015.

"Today, we live in a fast-paced world filled with all sorts of distractions. For drivers, distractions come in many forms ranging from cell phones to eating and drinking, to simply taking your eyes off the road to chat with a passenger," said ATS spokesperson Charles Territo. "Red-light running is an incredibly risky behaviour on its own, but when you add a distraction, the result can be deadly."

In 2014 alone, 3,129 were killed and 431,000 were injured in distracted driving crashes according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Red-light running is still the leading cause of urban crashes, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Enforcement

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Autonomous car accidents revealed in California
    May 13, 2015
    Associated Press (AP) recently reported that three of Google's self-driving cars have been involved in accidents since September, when California allowed them to begin using public roads. The parts supplier Delphi Automotive had one accident, which an accident report the company provided to AP showed was not its fault. Delphi said at the time the car was being driven by the person the DMV requires behind the wheel during testing. US consumer rights advocate Consumer Watchdog has now called on Google
    Read More
  • Fast-growing fleet management systems market show no sign of slowing
    July 18, 2016
    According to a new research report from M2M/IoT analyst firm Berg Insight, the number of active fleet management systems deployed in commercial vehicle fleets in North America was 5.8 million in Q4-2015. Growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.0 per cent, this number is expected to reach 12.7 million by 2020. In Latin America, the number of active fleet management systems is expected to increase from 2.3 million in Q4-2015, growing at a CAGR of 12.8 percent to reach 4.1 million in 2020. The
    Read More
  • Americans want more action and enforcement to improve highway safety
    May 16, 2012
    At a time when there is intense debate about the role of government, a majority of Americans support additional laws and want more action by government officials to improve highway safety, a new survey released yesterday by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety claims.
    Read More
  • US DOTs introduce measures to stop wrong-way driving
    March 28, 2018
    Wrong-way driving (WWD) is a remarkably innocuous term for incidents that all too often cause some of the worst accidents that emergency services have to deal with. Several US states are now taking steps to minimise the problem, as Alan Dron finds out. You’re driving down a highway at night when you see approaching headlights. You initially assume they are merely those of an oncoming car on the opposite carriageway. It’s only when they are within 200 yards or so that you realise that the other driver is in
    Read More

Highlighted Content