Red Light Crashes on the Rise in Arizona

In 2020, Arizona saw almost 5,000 red-light running crashes.

There are few things that make us madder than red-light runners.  Red means stop and yellow means slow down and prepare to stop, not “gun it and race through the intersection.”

In 2020, 62 people died through no fault of their own because another driver did not want to stop for the red-light.

You should know that Arizona law does not consider these just “car accidents.” These are homicides and the red light runner will likely be spending years in jail because they did not want to wait 2 minutes.

The data from ADOT shows Maricopa County drivers are the highest offenders—keeping in mind that the data only tracks crashes and not total red-light runners.  You can use this link for an interactive map: This interactive map gives a great visual of red-light runners in Arizona.

It is immediately apparent that downtown Phoenix and areas along the I-17 are common hot zones for red light accidents.

The scary part of these statistics is that 2020 marked the beginning of the Covid pandemic.  There were less cars on the road.  Maybe that’s the excuse for all the reckless driving, or maybe people were preoccupied with horrors that surrounded them.  Either way, they are inadequate excuses for risking the lives of other drivers.

Please be more mindful while driving.  Slow down when you see a yellow light.  And if you are about to go through an intersection where the light just turned green, take a moment to look both ways and make sure no one is running the light.

Have you or someone you know has been in a red-light crash in Phoenix, Mesa, Tempe or other city in Arizona?

Call or email the experienced  car accident lawyers at Gage Mathers for a free consultation.