June through August is known as the most dangerous time of the year for fatal traffic accidents in Colorado. Unfortunately, the recent accident statistics seem to confirm this as well.
On Sunday (8/4), Colorado Springs police are investigating a fatal crash at I-25/Cimarron under the bridge. According to the investigation, a pickup truck Chevy Silverado ran a red light and crashed into another pickup truck, a Dodge Ram pulling a camper.
The Chevy driver was driving west on Cimarron, and the Dodge Ram driver was on its way to northbound I-25. The crash knocked the camper and one of the trucks off the road. The police later said that the Chevy driver died in the crash, and the Dodge driver and another passenger were sent to a local hospital.
Consequences of Running a Red Light
Running a red light is illegal and a very dangerous habit, no matter how late you are to an appointment or a meeting. At best, you run the risk of getting caught by a cop or a monitoring camera for fines, which may increase your insurance costs. Unfortunately, the consequences can be a lot worse and are often deadly.
While you zap through a red light, saving just a minute or two, you are putting yourself and others in danger of serious injuries and property damage.
- When a driver runs through a red light, he or she often moves at high speed, when attributes to serious injuries when colliding with another vehicle or pedestrian.
- T-Bone collision is one of the most common consequences of red light accidents. It is extremely dangerous to the driver and/or passenger on the sides of the cars, where the collision happens. As there is no protection on the sides of the cars to absorb the impact, victims often suffer from severe injuries.
Most people (92.9% from the AAA Foundation survey) view red-light running or stop sign running as unacceptable behavior. Yet 42.7% of them admitted doing so in the past month. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, 890 people died in accidents involving red light running in 2017.
Running red light is so dangerous, why do we still do so?
Whether you want to admit or not, most of us can be impatient when driving, and our excuse is that we are busy or we are late on schedule.
“Can’t stop in time” is another cause of red light running. In other words, we may have been speeding, which itself is another risk of traffic accidents.
According to the AAA Foundation survey, some people run a red light, not for a deliberate reason, but simply that they did not realize it. This can happen when a driver is under the influence of alcohol or drugs or being distracted by text messages and other behaviors.
The Colorado law treats a red light running an aggressive driving behavior, which can result in high penalties or criminal sanctions. If you were involved in a red light running accident, contact a Colorado personal injury attorney to help get the compensation you may deserve.
Next time when you see the light turning yellow, do NOT rush through it, as your life and others’ depend on it.
Denver Car Accident Attorneys At FDAzar
For more than thirty years the car accident lawyers at Franklin D. Azar & Associates have helped thousands of injured people obtain complete and timely compensation for their losses. Our proven track record and expertise have allowed us to grow into the largest personal-injury law firm in Colorado, with offices in Denver, Aurora, Thornton, Fort Collins, Greeley, Grand Junction, Colorado Springs, and Pueblo. We are proud of our approach; we commit attorneys to cases, not paralegals. If you’ve been injured in a car accident, you may be entitled to compensation. Please call the car accident attorney at FDAzar day or night at 855.637.1268 or contact us here for a free consultation and no-obligation evaluation of your case.
