ODAM Law

Why do people run reds?

1st July 2005

Why do people run reds?

Date: 7/01/2005

by JOHN KREROWICZ

KENOSHA NEWS

Kimberly Powers, 34, of Salem, worries, especially now that she’s pregnant, about being on the road with an increasing number of drivers who disregard red traffic lights.

“We see it happen every day,” she said. “They just fly through the red lights. Nobody can wait his turn anymore.”

Powers’ vehicle was struck in May by a motorist who drove through a red light on Sheridan Road at 50 th Street. She wasn’t hurt, but rescue personnel were called just in case, and she contacted her doctor afterward.

Her suggestion that redlight runners are impatient seems to fit.

Dr. Bryan Porter, an associate professor of psychology at Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Va., said that being in a hurry was the No. 1 reason given by drivers in a 1999 study he and a colleague compiled.

The study, funded by DaimlerChrysler, was based on 880 responses nationwide to a telephone survey that included this question: “If you are late and about to have a red light, what do you do ?”

About 29 percent of all people surveyed said they would speed up, apparently in order to beat a red light, said Porter, a self-described “traffic psychologist.”

He suspected the number was greater than that because people tend to downplay their illegal activity.

Of the group that would speed up, some 69 percent said they would do so because they were in a hurry. Another 12 percent said they would speed up because they were frustrated with having to stop yet again for a traffic light.

Some 3 percent said they would speed up because they enjoyed the thrill of trying to beat the red light. However, Porter said that result was “statistically shaky” because so few drivers chose it.

Porter is on the advisory board for the National Campaign to Stop Red Light Running, in Washington DC.

Porter said his study also found that some 99 percent of the people surveyed said running red lights was dangerous and 80 percent reported they believed the situation was a problem.

Yet, 20 percent of drivers went through at least one red light in the last 10 intersections, the report found.

This was the most important finding in the study, he said.

“It’s not like people don’t get it,” he said about drivers ’ understanding that running red lights is illegal. “They do get it, but still run red lights anyway.”

What can law-abiding drivers do about the scofflaws? They should be more cautious before proceeding on a green light, said Kenosha city traffic engineer Randy LeClaire.

“It doesn’t hurt to look and maybe take one second before going,” he said. “Never take for granted that the way is clear.”

Powers said she does not immediately drive forward any more when the light turns green.

“It’s so stressful to drive anymore,” said Powers. “I am so cautious now.”

Sometimes who is right and wrong in stoplight crashes is not clear-cut, said Gino Alia, a Kenosha lawyer.

Alia handled a trial in which a younger driver stopped at 60 th Street and Green Bay Road (Highway 31) to make a left turn. An oncoming driver went through a yellow light, and the two collided.

“The jury put 55 percent of the blame on my person, who turned left, and 45 percent on the person who didn’t stop,” the lawyer said. “Both drivers tend to have some level of blame.”

There’s an irony in how people are reacting to red-light runners, said Leslie Blakey, executive director for the National Campaign to Stop Red Light Running.

Impatient drivers can lead to slower, more cautious motorists, creating longer waits on the road, she acknowledged.

“What happens is that when people are afraid to go on green, you start to slow down the traffic pattern,” she said. “It’s just one big spiral.”

Blakey said drivers who run red lights, regardless of the reason, are endangering everyone’s safety.

“We characterize that as feeling that their time is more valuable than our safety,” she said. “It’s a selfish attitude.”