Skip to main content

Red light violations increase during summer driving season: report

The US National Coalition for Safer Roads has released new data on red-light running, which revealed an increase in the number of violations that occurred during peak periods of summer travel in 2014. According to the statistics, more than 3.7 million drivers in the United States ran a red light in 2014. A large percentage of these violations occurred during the peak summer travel weekends of Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day. Red-light running incidents during each of these major summer t
May 21, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
The US 5755 National Coalition for Safer Roads has released new data on red-light running, which revealed an increase in the number of violations that occurred during peak periods of summer travel in 2014.

According to the statistics, more than 3.7 million drivers in the United States ran a red light in 2014. A large percentage of these violations occurred during the peak summer travel weekends of Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day.

Red-light running incidents during each of these major summer travel periods in 2014, included: Memorial Day: 37,800 violations; Independence Day: 34,522 violations; Labor Day: 35,118 violations.

According to the data, Friday afternoons, between 1:00 – 5:00 pm, were the most dangerous times on the road – with the highest number of red-light violations recorded.

The millions of additional drivers on the roads during summer holiday periods also increases the risk of traffic collisions resulting from red-light running, distracted driving, and speeding. In order to prevent injuries and fatalities resulting from traffic collisions during the summer travel season, NCSR is sharing these statistics with the public and encouraging all drivers to practice safe driving.

"This data proves that driving over the summer holidays, when millions of people are on the road, can be very dangerous," says Melissa Wandall, President of NCSR. "By sharing these numbers with the public, we aim to influence safe driving and reduce the number of traffic collisions that occur during peak periods of travel."

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • 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
  • Vision Zero is working says New York mayor, announces more funding
    January 22, 2016
    According to Mayor Bill de Blasio, 2015 was officially the safest year on New York City streets since record-keeping began in 1910, thanks to the city’s Vision Zero program.He said the 231 traffic fatalities in 2015 are 66 lower than the 297 fatalities that occurred in 2013, the year before Vision Zero began. Pedestrian deaths, a historic low of 134 in 2015, fell 27 per cent during that period. The previous lows were 2011 with 249 traffic fatalities and 2014 with 139 pedestrian fatalities.
  • US traffic deaths up 7.7 per cent in 2015
    July 8, 2016
    Preliminary data released by the US Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) show a 7.7 per cent increase in motor vehicle traffic deaths in 2015. An estimated 35,200 people died in 2015, up from the 32,675 reported fatalities in 2014. Although the data are preliminary and requires additional analysis, the early NHTSA estimate shows 9 out of 10 regions within the United States had increased traffic deaths in 2015. The most significant increases came for pedest
  • Speed limits: is 20 really plenty?
    June 16, 2020
    Speed kills – which means cutting speed should cut collisions. But is it that simple?