BUSINESS NEWS
Intersections where highest number of cars run red lights
Nathan Bomey
USA TODAY
Published 4:29 AM EDT Sep 11, 2019
At some intersections, drivers apparently think a red light is just a suggestion to stop.
But that attitude has increasingly deadly consequences. The number of people killed when someone plowed through a light rose 31% to 939 in 2017, a 10-year high, according to a recent study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
Growing awareness of those dangers is casting a spotlight on intersections in America where the number of cars and trucks running lights is highest.
Three intersections in Florida, two in Texas and two in Tennessee are among the 10 tracked by red-light cameras where the highest number of vehicles blow through the light.
The data comes from Verra Mobility, the parent company of American Traffic Solutions, which collects data from 2,000 red-light cameras for municipalities throughout the country. The cameras capture images and video of vehicles proceeding through intersections once the light has turned red. The company also tracks crashes using speed cameras and school bus cameras.
AAA study: Deaths from cars running red lights hit a 10-year high
The intersection with the most incidents tracked by red-light cameras? That’s in New Orleans.
Here are the 10 intersections of 2,000 tracked by Verra Mobility:
1. New Orleans, Louisiana
Intersection: South Carrollton Avenue and Palmetto Street
This intersection is near ramps to Interstate 10 and the campus of Xavier University of Louisiana.
2. Boulder, Colorado
Intersection: Eastbound Baseline Road at 27th Way
This intersection is near ramps to U.S. Route 36, known as the Denver-Boulder Turnpike.
3. North Miami Beach, Florida
Intersection: Westbound North Miami Beach Boulevard (Northeast 167th Street) at Northeast 10th Avenue
Drivers barreling through this intersection may be on their way to a major junction with Interstate 95 a little more than a mile west.
4. Laurel, Maryland
Intersection: Eastbound Gorman Avenue at Southbound U.S. 1
This intersection, located near strip malls, directs drivers through a tangled web of roads including Second Street and Fort Meade Road.
5. Tampa, Florida
Intersection: Eastbound East Hillsborough Avenue at North 22nd Street
This intersection is located along a major commercial strip near a campus of Erwin Technical College.
6. Fort Worth, Texas
Intersection: Westbound West Freeway Service Road at Ashland Avenue
This intersection is located north of Arlington Heights High School across U.S. 30.
7. Knoxville, Tennessee
Intersection: Eastbound Western Avenue (SR 62) at the I-640/I-75 Southbound offramp
This major interchange is several lanes wide on each side.
8. New Port Richey, Florida
Intersection: Northbound U.S. 19 (FL 55) at Trouble Creek Road
This massive intersection is located along a major commercial strip.
9. Knoxville, Tennessee
Intersection: Westbound Chapman Highway (U.S. 441) at Stone Road
This intersection is located about two and a half miles south of the Tennessee River.
10. Fort Worth, Texas
Intersection: Southbound South Hulen Street at the Southwest Loop 820 west offramp
This intersection is located alongside U.S. 20, or Ronald Reagan Memorial Highway.
Follow USA TODAY reporter Nathan Bomey on Twitter @NathanBomey.
