Red light runners make intersections more dangerous

DAVENPORT, Iowa (KWQC) - A fatal crash at the bottom of the I-74 off-ramp at Grant Street Monday happened because someone ran a red light, Bettendorf Police say.

The stretch of road is a labyrinth of multiple intersections, lanes and lights.

TV6 Investigates recorded traffic for 30 minutes Wednesday and caught eight vehicles that flagrantly ran red lights at the corner of the fatal crash.

Also seen were drivers on the off-ramp making rolling stops before turning right on red and merging with the fast-moving eastbound Grant Street traffic.

Disobeying traffic signals is a problem across the Quad-Cities, according to crash data obtained from the Iowa Department of Transportation.

Drivers who ran red lights caused 261 crashes in Scott County since 2021, and aAt least three people died.

Those crashes involved 561 cars and 785 people. IDOT estimates nearly 130 suffered injuries.

Bettendorf Police Chief Keith Kimball said the problem is hard to stop because if there’s not an officer who observes it, then it can’t be enforced.

To stay safe, Kimball says to check for cross traffic after your light turns green.

Illinois doesn’t publicly track red light data. but the City of Moline is compiling numbers as part of a TV6 Investigates’ public records request.

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