West Virginia law enforcement are targeting this violation in August

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WBOY) — Drivers are more likely to get pulled over for this specific traffic violation in West Virginia over the next two weeks.

“Target Red” is part of the Governor’s Highway Safety Program (GHSP) aimed to prevent drivers from running red lights and stop signs. According to a press release from the GHSP, drivers are more likely to get pulled over and cited for these offenses during a high visibility enforcement mobilization from Aug. 1-15.

“Nationally, drivers running a red light is a serious and extremely dangerous problem; locally it is no different,” said Jack McNeely, director of the GHSP. “Yellow signal lights caution motorists that the red signal is about to appear and does not mean to ‘go fast’,” McNeely said.

Based on West Virginia Department of Transportation data from 2016-2020, 18% of all crashes in West Virginia and 14% of traffic fatalities are intersection related and often the result of violations like speeding.

Since it was started in Beckley in 2008, Target Red’s targeted enforcement and education programs have help drop the level of incidents by 60% according to the release.

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