BELLEVIEW, FL (352today.com) – In a moment you can blink your eyes and life changes forever.
National Stop on Red week found the Florida Department of Transportation partnering with the Ocala/Marion Transportation and Planning Organization, the National Coalition for Safer Roads, the City of Belleview and Marion County first responders to remind everyone to stop on red, with the government entities and agencies meeting in the Emery Abshier Allstate parking lot on the morning of Aug. 6, 2025.
The Florida Department of Transportation’s Target Zero program is doing its part to inform and educate, with the intention of achieving their objective of reducing the number of fatalities and serious injuries to zero, by making the state’s transportation system safer for all users.
Running a red light or stop sign can have serious consequences, and the numbers are staggering. In 2023, Florida had 33,045 crashes caused by drivers who didn’t stop on red, with the totals painting a grim picture, with 84 people being killed and 681 people sustaining serious injuries. In Florida, every day, nine people are killed and 47 people are seriously injured due to crashes on Florida roadways, said Loreen Bobo, Florida Department of Safety office of safety, safety administrator.
Following and obeying the traffic and safety laws, they’re in place to help us make better decisions and to save lives, said Melissa Wandall, National Coalition for Safer Roads president.
“We want to drive down insatiable heartache on our roadways,” said Wandall. “‘We have to look at our roads differently. We can’t look at them just as a place to move. Good people are making very bad decisions. We want people to remember that not only are their lives at stake, so are their loved ones. Whether it’s a red light, or whether it’s a stop sign, or whether someone is just driving along, making a bad decision and not paying attention and hitting somebody else, not only ruins the lives of the people that they hit, but it also ruins their own life. It’s not good for the victim or the violator.”
Distracted and aggressive drivers often go through red lights and stop signs, and many of these accidents are preventable.
Patience, and making certain no one is in the roadway when turning can make a significant difference in saving lives.
The organizations that participated in the presentation share a common goal to eliminate fatalities and life altering injuries on our roadways, said Wandall, who knows first-hand, as her husband was killed and her brother has been left emotionally debilitated and has been left physically disabled, as the result of a driver running a red light.
“This week is just not a once-a-year campaign,” said Wandall. “It’s a movement, safe stops, stronger communities.”