Obeying traffic signals is one of the easiest things a driver can do to prevent an accident. No matter how late you are for school or an appointment, going through a red light puts you and occupants of other cars at risk. Being late is better than being severely injured or killed in a car accident. One New Jersey town is reminding its residents of that in a powerful way.
The town of Roselle Park, which is just outside of Elizabeth, released a video of a gruesome car accident at an intersection in town. The video shows a speeding car running a red light before crashing into a car that was proceeding through the intersection.
According to police, the 29-year-old driver who ran the red light in the video was arrested for driving while intoxicated. Drunk driving can lower your reaction speed, which could make it harder to stop if you see that an accident is imminent.
The police chief of Roselle Park said he wants people to be aware of what can happen. "By showing this video, we hope people will realize running red lights can have tragic consequences," he said.
In a bit of good news, the town reported that since the red-light program began in May 2011, cars running red lights at the intersection in the video have decreased 47 percent.
This is something that other New Jersey towns could learn from. It doesn't have to be an accident specific to your particular town to realize what could happen when someone chooses to drive recklessly and run a red light.
Source: NBC News, "Horrific NJ car accident becomes red-light stop campaign," July 13, 2012
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