Red light running is a serious problem across Tampa Bay – especially in Pinellas County.  Within just 273.8 square miles, a complex network of major thoroughfares and intersections serves nearly 1 million residents (961,400), or 3,339 people per square mile, and its population is the most dense in the entire Sunshine State. 

At the last official count, there were 418,716 households in Pinellas County, with each home averaging 2 vehicles. A bit of quick arithmetic puts the total number of resident vehicles at 837,432 (which does not include visitors driving in from all parts of the country or international travelers).

Only 38 miles long and 15 miles wide at its broadest point, with 24 municipalities, the most westward portion of the Suncoast, containing 334 square miles of water, which shares shorelines with the Gulf of Mexico and Tampa Bay, has practically run out of room to grow out. In other words, our promontory is packed to the peak. Still, the population continues to increase. 

Adding to the number of people doesn’t ease the traffic congestion – particularly in a microregion that’s mostly a sprawling area where it’s necessary to drive from one place to another. While there are walkable situations, these are few and far between and are primarily found in downtown St. Pete, Main Street Safety Harbor, downtown Tampa, Main Street Dunedin, and downtown Clearwater. (Ironically, these destinations are always short on available parking.)

Commutes, Road Rage, Crashes, and Road Fatalities

Making traffic conditions worse, the average work commute clocks in at 24.7 minutes. Although this is shorter than the national average, most residents would agree their experiences are not stress-free. In fact, just one law enforcement agency alone – the St. Petersburg Police Department receives at least one emergency road rage call each month. Fatalities in such incidents have increased, with 410 occurring six years ago in 2018, climbing to 608 in 2021, only three years ago.

As you can imagine, the number of auto collisions is also alarming, with 16,464 crashes reported in 2021 and 15,682 crashes in 2022, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles or FLHSMV. This is not significantly different than four years ago when FLHSMV data showed 14,313 significant crashes in Pinellas County. Similarly, there were 14,817 total collisions last year. Additionally, in 2023, there were 6,432 accidents resulting in 9,189 injuries in Pinellas. 

Just four months into 2024, there were 1,532 vehicle collisions, with 2,178 people suffering trauma. Road deaths are also remarkably unchanged, with 108 fatalities in 2019 and again in 2020, 155 traffic deaths in 2021, 121 in 2022, and 111 mortalities in 2023.

When all crashes are considered, Pinellas County accounts for 4% of Florida’s total car accidents each year. And, this part of Tampa Bay is home to some of the worst intersections, including 66th Street and Tyrone Boulevard, 38th Avenue and 66th Street, 34th Street and 54th Avenue, US-19 and Ulmerton Road, US-19 and Drew Street, US-19 and 22nd Avenue North, SR 60 and Belcher Road, and US-19 and Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard.

Speaking of intersections, let’s get into the red light running numbers. We’ll take a look at the figures to help uncover some of the facts and try to answer the question of how many red light runners there are in Pinellas County.

How Many Red Light Runners Are There in Pinellas County?

So, just how many red light runners are there in Pinellas County? It’s probably a question you’ve asked yourself before or discussed with someone else – especially after witnessing drivers blast through intersections when they should be coming to a stop. Whether they accelerate or coast, red light running is responsible for too many tragedies across the nation and sadly, right here in Pinellas.

This is important to attempt to quantify because you or your loved one are most likely to suffer injuries due to a driver running a red light because red light running and other traffic controls represent the most common cause of all urban auto collisions. Additionally, “half of the people killed by red-light runners are not the signal violators — they are passengers, other motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists,” in the country, according to the US Department of Transportation.

The Federal Highway Administration also reports almost 93% of drivers believe running a red light is unacceptable. However, 1 in 3 drivers admitted doing so in the past 30 days. Red light running alone takes a huge financial toll, exceeding $230 billion annually nationwide. As for Pinellas County, the numbers aren’t encouraging. 

While Pinellas County does not publicly release the exact number of red light violations per year. However, they do track and report on the effectiveness of red light cameras in reducing accidents and improving traffic safety. So, we must look at related information about red light violations to gain some insight. 

Last year, in 2023, law enforcement cited nearly 20,000 drivers for running a red light, with each fine costing $264 per ticket. By comparison, there were 47,415 red light camera violations in Florida in the fiscal year 2021-2022, meaning Pinellas alone accounted for 42.2% of all citations issued. Meanwhile, 17,895 speeding tickets were given out in 2020. Additionally, the overall number of traffic citations rose by 6.5% from 2.48 million to 2.64 million in 2022.

But, that’s only the people who were caught in the act. 

So, what about the drivers who aren’t caught running red lights? Well, the Clearwater Police Department reports its agency cited almost 3,300 people for failure to stop at a red light or stop sign in 2021. (This doesn’t necessarily include drivers caught by the only remaining red light cameras still operating in the city at Gulf to Bay Boulevard and Belcher Road and Chestnut and Fort Harrison.) 

The Number of Drivers Who Run Red Lights in Pinellas County Revealed

There are an average of 7 fatal crashes and over 1,000 injury crashes every day at signalized intersections across the country. Moreover, the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Department reports over 1 million violation notices for red-light running between 2021 and 2022. 

Furthermore, recent research examining traffic behavior at urban intersections has revealed alarming rates of red-light violations. The study, which monitored six crossroads across three different cities, uncovered that more than a third of all traffic light cycles – specifically 35.2% – witnessed at least one driver running a red light. This translates to an average of 10 infractions per hour at each intersection.

The data also highlighted temporal patterns in this dangerous behavior. Red-light running incidents were found to be more frequent during high-traffic periods, with a notable spike occurring in the late afternoon. The hours between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. emerged as a particularly problematic window, showing a higher concentration of violations compared to other times of the day. Again, on average, there are 10 red light runners per hour.

Here in Pinellas County, there are 438 traffic signals in unincorporated areas. Also, the county has a Signal Phase and Timing (SPaT) project at 23 traffic signals along US 19. This project includes 11 at-grade intersections and 12 signals along frontage roads.

Given those numbers that brings the total to 461 intersections with light signals. With that number and the statistics above, it means at a maximum, there are approximately 4,610 red lights run every hour of each day in Pinellas County alone, translating into 110,640 every 24 hours or 774,480 each week or about 3,319,200 per month. Projected out, that’s an astounding 40,383,600 annually.

Of course, these aren’t exact numbers but help demonstrate just how serious red light running is here in Pinellas County.