(KLZA) We're supposed to stop at red lights, but some motorists ignore the law and blast right through, risking at least a ticket, and at most, killing someone. This is National Stop On Red Week. Melissa Wandall (WAHN-dull), outreach director for the National Coalition for Safer Roads, is urging Nebraskans to become more aware of the deadly risks. ( Play audio :19 seconds )
A federal study of Nebraska crashes in 2009 found intersection-related crashes claimed 64 lives. Nationwide, that same year, 87-hundred people were killed in such wrecks at intersections.
While some drivers make a conscious choice to run a red light because they're running late, others might not realize they're blowing through a stoplight because of their cell phone, G-P-S or something else. Wandall, says running a red light can be a fatal mistake. ( play audio :18 seconds )
Wandall's husband, Mark, was killed by a red-light runner two weeks before their daughter was born. Wandall has since become a leading voice for intersection safety. She has been telling her story for eight years now. ( Play audio :20 seconds )
A study from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found red-light running is the leading cause of urban crashes, while more than two-point-three million drivers received a red-light citation last year. Learn about the campaign at: www.StopOnRedWeek.com.
It should also be noted that a flashing red light. Just like the ones currently in use on Stone Street in Falls City at the corners of 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th Streets also mean STOP. When you come to a flashing red light at an intersection you need to stop and look both directions before proceeding through the intersection.
© Many Signals Communications
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