Missouri Accident Lawyer Blog

A Franklin County Missouri accident injured two Missourians on May 29, 2011. The Missouri red light car accident occurred on Highway 100 at Route M.

Aaron Mitchell, a 21 year old from St. Charles, failed to yield at a red light at the intersection of Highway 100 and Route M. Mitchell crashed his 2006 Dodge Ram 1500 into the side of a 2007 Toyota Camry driven by Janie R. Frick of Villa Ridge. Both the Toyota and the GMC were totaled. The vehicles had to be towed away from the scene of the accident. Both drivers were injured in the Missouri red light car accident. Frick was seriously injured whereas Mitchell suffered moderate injuries. Both of them were taken to St. John’s in Creve Coeur, Missouri by Meramec ambulance.

Missouri red light car accidents often result in serious injury. Red light accidents that occur in intersections are often Missouri side impact car accidents. In a recent year, over 12,000 Missourians were seriously injured in side impact car accidents. In fact, side impact car accidents resulted in death for 250 Missourians that same year. The design of passenger vehicles provides less protection against side collisions than against front end collisions. Passenger cars typically have crumple zones and air bags to protect the body from absorbing the full impact of a front impact collision. Cars lack side crumple and side curtain airbags are not standard in most vehicles. These factors encourage municipal and state governments to decrease the number of side impact car accidents caused by running a red light.

To decrease the occurrence of red light accidents, many jurisdictions have begun using controversial Missouri red light cameras. Red light cameras sense when a vehicle runs a red light. When a vehicle runs a red light, the camera takes a photo. The photo typically captures the vehicle’s license plate but some red light cameras will capture the vehicle operator’s face. An automatic ticket for the traffic violation is issued to the owner of the car.

Governments pass laws prohibiting running a red light to deter that dangerous behavior and the resulting car accidents. Running a red light violates Missouri statute §304.281, the regulation that sets rules for traffic controlled by light signals. According to Missouri law, vehicles facing a steady red symbol must stop before entering the intersection. Unless marked otherwise, vehicles may make a right turn on a red light but must still yield the right of way to proceeding traffic.