T-Bone Crashes are Deadliest

A T-bone crash, also called a side-impact or broadside collision, occurs when the front of one car hits the side of another car. This can cause serious injuries to the occupants of both vehicles, especially on the struck side. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), side-impact accidents accounted for 23% of vehicle occupant deaths in car accidents in 2020. According to the National Transportation Highway Safety Administration, about 8,000 people are killed annually in the United States in T-bone collisions.

Most T-Bone accidents occur because a driver ran a red light or stop sign while traffic was coming on the cross-street of the intersection. If a driver commits a moving violation, such as running a red light or making an illegal turn, and they cause a T-Bone accident, they are at fault for the incident but it is usually the occupants or driver of the other vehicle who suffer the most. 

Reasons Why

There are many reasons why drivers may make these dangerous moves or otherwise behave in a way that causes a T-bone accident. One of the most common causes of these types of broadside crashes include running a red light. Other reasons:

  • Texting while driving
  • Eating or drinking while driving
  • Driving while fatigued
  • Paying attention to a GPS or smartphone map instead of the road
  • Impaired drivers
  • Reckless drivers
  • Speeding

Red Light Cameras Change Driver Behavior

Red Light Cameras can help prevent t-bone crashes by changing driver behavior. Once a driver gets a red light camera violation, they will rarely repeat the offense.
 
According to IIHS, Red light safety cameras are an effective way to discourage red light running. Enforcement is the best way to get people to comply with any law, but it’s impossible for police to be at every intersection. Cameras can fill the void. An IIHS study found that cameras reduced the fatal red light running crash rate of large cities by 21% and the rate of all types of fatal crashes at signalized intersections by 14%.

Contact Us

Interested in using automated red light enforcement in your community? Contact Us: 888-666-4218, Ext. 6 for East Coast and Ext. 7 for West Coast.  We can also be reached at [email protected]