New PSA Highlights Dangers of Red-Light Running

Victims' Families Discuss Need for Increased Road Safety

WASHINGTON, May 18, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Coalition for Safer Roads (NCSR) has released a powerful new public service announcement demonstrating the heartbreaking impact of red-light running on families. Powerful testimonials from three women — a wife, a mother, a grandmother — reveal their personal loss and highlight how red-light safety cameras help protect families and communities by changing dangerous driver behavior.

Each woman shares her story of losing a loved one due to someone else's reckless decision to run a red light. It is a stark reminder of the dangers of red-light running and how lives are forever changed by these careless choices.

"No one ever thinks it will happen to their family," said David Kelly, president and executive director of NCSR. "Unfortunately, it's far too common. Every day, innocent lives are lost because of red-light running. This new PSA helps educate motorists about the dangers of red-light running and shows people how to get involved in our national coalition to make our roads safer."

A recent study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) found that 113,000 people were injured and 676 were killed in crashes that involved red-light running in 2009 – two-thirds of the victims were pedestrians, bicyclists and occupants of vehicles hit by the red-light runners.

The study also showed that red-light safety cameras helped save more than 150 lives in 14 of the biggest U.S. cities from 2004 to 2008. Had the cameras been operating in all 99 U.S. cities with populations more than 200,000, more than 800 lives could have been saved.

"No family should ever have to suffer a devastating loss at the hands of a red-light runner," Kelly said. "We hope this new PSA will bring attention to the critical mission to make our roads safer for our children and grandchildren."

Find more information about improving road safety at www.saferoadssavelives.org

View the PSA on the NCSR website or on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/SaferRoadsUSA).  Follow @SaferRoadsUSA on Twitter and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/SaferRoadsUSA.

NCSR is a nonprofit advocacy organization that brings together industry leaders, community leaders and concerned citizens in support of red-light safety camera technology. NCSR helps save lives and protect communities by demonstrating how red-light safety cameras can improve driver behavior. For more information, visit http://SafeRoadsSaveLives.org/ .

SOURCE National Coalition for Safer Roads