'Stop On Red Week' Reiterates Hazards Of Running Red Lights: Howard County Police

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — This week happens to be Stop on Red Week and the Howard County Police Department reminds residents that numerous crashes could be avoided by stopping on red lights.

Organized by the National Coalition for Safer Roads, the message of the themed week is to not drive distracted or impatiently, and to stop on red.

The Howard County Police Department shared a video of near misses on Facebook, emphasizing the importance of obeying the traffic signal and showing how dangerous it is to run a red light.

Howard County has 26 active camera sites monitoring 18 intersections in the county. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, road safety camera systems have been shown to reduce the red-light crash fatality rate in large cities by 21 percent and by 14 percent at signalized intersections, the police department noted.

A 2019 Howard County analysis revealed that red light running at enforced sites has reduced by 62 percent when compared to the sites' initial activation.