News

Jun 17, 2023

THE WAY WE SEE IT: Abide by the rules of the road, please

T he Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and area law enforcement agencies hope folks will pay attention the next time they come to a stop sign or red electronic traffic signal. Next week (Aug.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and area law enforcement agencies hope folks will pay attention the next time they come to a stop sign or red electronic traffic signal.

Next week (Aug. 6-12) is National Stop on Red Week, an initiative of the National Coalition for Safer Roads, that’s designed to bring awareness to the dangers of running red lights and other traffic signals that lead to preventable crash related fatalities.

{span class=”ILfuVd NA6bn” lang=”en” xml:lang=”en”}{span class=”hgKElc”}It serves as an important reminder of the dangers we face on our roads and the responsibility we all hold to Stop on Red.{/span}{/span}

We’ve all seen it; most of us have probably done it on a few occasions. Whether you’re running late for work or an appointment or just don’t want to be inconvenienced for 30-45 seconds at a red light, the traffic signals are there for a reason.

Between 2008 and 2021, an estimated 11,296 people nationwide were killed in crashes related to red-light running.

Between July 1, 2022, and June 30, 2023, Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) statistics show there were 858 crashes as a result of running either a stop light or stop sign. Of those 858, 455 involved at least one person with an injury. Overall, there were 21 fatalities.

That’s just one year’s worth of stats limited to the Keystone State — and it includes only those handled by PSP.

PennDOT classifies red-light running as an aggressive driving behavior that places motorists, passengers, and pedestrians at an increased risk of injury and/or death.

The way we see it, it’s pretty simple stuff. Green means go, yellow means prepare to stop (not speed up), and red means stop.

As the Pennsylvania Driver’s Manual states, traffic signals are installed at intersections to control the movement of vehicles and pedestrians. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, vehicle accidents resulting from breaking the red-light rule were responsible for around 11,877 deaths between 2004 and 2018. In addition, about 139,000 people had been injured.

During the 1900s, traffic was controlled in the United States by police officers directing it from towers. But when cars became the norm and traffic increased, managing vehicles also evolved. At first, traffic lights were gas-based lamps, which later evolved into the electric variety with only two lights: red and green. Instead of the yellow light, a buzzer would sound to indicate a change in the signal was about to take place. The first red, yellow and green traffic signal was used in Detroit in 1920.

Traffic signals are not taken seriously by people in a rush. Hence, road accidents are common across the world. The purpose of the week is to highlight the importance of traffic signals and the damage caused when the rules are ignored. The week focuses on how essential the red traffic light is to control speeding vehicles. It also brings the issue of reckless driving to the forefront.

Indiana Borough Police Chief Justin Schawl said traffic laws are in place to keep folks safe and are essential to a thriving downtown and safer neighborhoods.

“Indiana Borough sees thousands of vehicles daily at our major intersections and hundreds of vehicles daily at most others,” he told us. “Although it is impossible to quantify the number of traffic violations we don’t see, we should all recognize that many more violations are occurring than are being detected by the police.”

Indiana Borough, Schawl said, has many intersections guarded by traffic signals, so adherence to steady red signals and “No Turn on Red” signs is imperative to motorist and pedestrian safety.

“We always ask community members to be patient in traffic and to follow all traffic laws,” he said. “Although we can professionally investigate traffic crashes, we cannot eliminate damage and injury that has already resulted. That is why our traffic safety strategy has been to reduce crashes by increased traffic enforcement, community education, and identifying engineering issues that may help us calm traffic violations in town.”

For the department’s effort, it has received the AAA Community Traffic Safety Platinum Award 13 times since 2008.

According to the PSP’s Community Access to Information Dashboard (CAID), between July 1, 2022, and June 30, 2023, there were nine crashes as a result of running a red light in Indiana County. Of those nine, four resulted in injury/death and one was caused by distracted driving.

Again, the data is PSP only. It does not include data from other police departments within the county.

The dashboard also revealed that during the same time frame, there were six crashes that resulted from running a stop sign. Of the six, one resulted in a fatality, four resulted in injury/death, and three were caused by distracted driving.

Again, between July 1, 2022, and June 30, 2023, PSP issued 82 citations and 61 warnings to those caught disregarding stop and yield signs in Indiana County. The most frequently cited/warned for those violations were people between 19 to 25 years old.

Trooper 1st Class Cliff Greenfield, of PSP Troop A, Indiana, said people can help law enforcement if they witness an infraction that takes on a pattern.

“If (people) see a pattern of the same traffic violations (red light violations, stop sign violations, reckless driving, etc.) occurring at a particular intersection or roadway, call our station or their local police department,” he said. “We (PSP) can then create a patrol check so that members of our patrol unit are assigned to specifically monitor those locations during their regular patrol duties. We do these patrol checks on a routine basis throughout Indiana County.”

Greenfield said people (drivers, motorcyclists, bicyclists and pedestrians) should always be diligent and look both ways to make sure an intersection is safe to cross before proceeding.

“Be observant, be diligent, try to anticipate what other drivers are doing, and always wear your seat belt,” he said.

Since 2019, Chief Schawl said IBPD officers have identified and taken enforcement action on 5,615 traffic violations within Indiana Borough.

“We also conduct dozens of traffic studies each year at specific locations and make recommendations when appropriate for engineering changes,” he said, adding that IBPD officers will be enforcing traffic laws during Stop on Red Week “as we do every week.”

“Although we are here for residents 24/7/365, we cannot be everywhere at once and rely on all residents and visitors to assist us with traffic safety efforts,” Schawl said. “Be patient. Slow down at yellow signals. Stop at red signals. Pay close attention to ‘No Turn on Red’ signs. Be aware of pedestrians using the crosswalk. Never assume how other motorists or pedestrians are going to act/react at intersections. We are here for everyone, always.”

While everyone knows the basic traffic rules, people sometimes forget how important they are and why they must be followed at all costs. Traffic laws curb unnecessary deaths and injuries for both drivers and pedestrians.

So while you’re out and about driving area and the state’s highways and byways, pay attention and abide by the rules of the road.

And be sure to stop on red. It’s the law, not a suggestion.

Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles.