PHOENIX — Every driver knows a red light means stop. However, when drivers ignore the lights, the consequences can be devastating.
The Arizona Department of Transportation provided incident data for every crash in the state that happened back in 2020.
According to the data, 4,900 crashes were caused when a person ran a red light. Those crashes cost 62 people their lives.
"It is a lot. Red-light running crashes tend to be serious crashes," said Jessica Cicchino, the Vice President of Research at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. "Nationwide, nearly a thousand people die in red-light running crashes."
Maricopa County had the most red-light running crashes.
According to the data, some of the top intersections for red-light crashes were at I-17 and Thomas road, Hayden and McDowell, and the exit ramp on US-60 and Higley Road.
See a map of crashes caused by red-light runners here:
"Even though people know it is something that is wrong, they still end up doing it," Cicchino said.
According to a 2019 AAA survey, 31% of drivers admitted to running a red light in the last 30 days.
"It's pretty preventable. It's something that is clear to drivers most of the time, that the light is turning red and they know what they need to do," Cicchino said.
According to Cicchino, cities and counties can take simple steps to help prevent red-light runners.
First, she said cities should look into more red-light cameras. Beyond that, light timing, such as making sure yellow lights give enough time for people to slow down, can help reduce crashes.
However, in recent years more cities have turned away from red-light cameras.
"It's pretty frustrating. We've seen the number of cities using red-light cameras drop over the last five or even more years," Cicchino said.
Phoenix did not renew a contract to keep its 12 red light cameras operational in 2020.
According to data provided by ADOT and Phoenix, the average number of red light crashes went down at those 12 intersections after the cameras turned off.
However, there were fewer drivers on the road in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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