Officers on the Lookout for Red Light Runners

When the light turns red, the driver is suppose to stop. But some drivers take a big risk and just keep on going. It's a problem the federal government is putting on its priority list.

"Everyone is in a hurry trying to beat the light, trying to save a few seconds here or there, costing lives and causing injuries," explains transportation secretary Rodney Slater.

The government plans to step up law enforcement and install new technology to catch the aggressive offenders. In some communities, cameras will be installed to keep an electric eye on traffic. Here in the Triangle, police are already cracking down.

"A red light violation is a very serious crash," emphasizes Sgt. Dan McLamb. "You've got two opposing angles meeting together at a high rate of speed. It's very dangerous."

For the last two years, the Raleigh Police have manned a special unit specifically designed to catch drivers who are breaking the law.

"We will be where our data shows that we had the major problems," Mc Lamb says. "We know what our worst intersections are. We have targeted those intersections."

Officers hope their efforts will make traveling in the Triangle safer, and people will follow the law for their own good.