THE HUTCHINSON REPORT: Running red lights adds to South L.A. death toll

By Earl Ofari Hutchinson

Contributing Columnist

It is almost the norm to see this when stopped at a major intersection with a traffic signal: One or more cars barreling through the red light at top speed.

In most cases, the lucky though lawless driver beats the light and saves maybe a few seconds of time by his or her recklessness. However, there are more than a few drivers who not only are not lucky but bowl over a pedestrian crossing the intersection or pile into another car passing through the intersection lawfully.

On a recent day, I saw the often-devastating result of red light running at the intersection of Slauson Avenue and Figueroa Street in South Los Angeles. It has the dubious distinction of being named by Crosstown L.A. the deadliest intersection in Los Angeles.

In 2025, there were nearly 70 crashes at that intersection.

In the space of roughly five minutes at the intersection, three cars sped through a red light. Fortunately, there were no collisions or pedestrians crossing the intersection. But there could have been.

In more than a few cases, the drivers speed away. Worse, in most cases they get away with causing a fatality. Here’s the grim odds of that happening.

There were more than 7,000 known hit-and-run accidents in Los Angeles from 2022 to 2024. While only a small percent of the hit-and-runs resulted in death barely 1% of the drivers was apprehended.

It gets even worse. The number of hit-and-runs, according to Los Angeles Police Department figures, dropped in 2025. But not in South Los Angeles, where a disproportionate number of the hit-and-runs occur. In almost all cases, the hit-and-runs come from speeding through red lights.

In the compilation by Crosstown LA, of the 10 most deadly intersections in Los Angeles in 2025 three of the top five deadliest were in South Los Angeles. The carnage in South L.A. is a major reason Allstate ranked Los Angeles as one of the top 10 most dangerous cities to drive in America.

In 2023, red light violations contributed to nearly 200 deaths and more than 1,200 severe injuries in Los Angeles County. That’s an increase of more than 100% since 2013.A disproportionate number of those injured or killed are African Americans and Hispanics. The numbers to date in2026 remain high.

I have repeatedly called attention to the grim death surge from red light violation hit and runs in South L.A. and made several calls on the LAPD, the Sheriff’s Department, the California Highway Patrol and city officials to take urgent action to deal with the crisis. I have made several proposals for action.

Two of which are the creation of a special hit and run red light surveillance task force by law enforcement agencies at the deadliest intersections in South L.A.

The other is red light enforcement cameras visibly posted with warnings at those intersections. None of this though will mean anything unless there is tough prosecution of the red-light running drivers.

The law is both clear and uniform in all states. Drivers must exchange licenses and insurance with another driver or pedestrian whenever an accident occurs. That is a mandatory requirement, particularly when there is a personal injury. That is where the problem begins. 

A driver who strikes another vehicle or — worse a pedestrian — often panics. They fear arrest, jailing and potentially a conviction and imprisonment. 

There are many circumstances that cause hit-and-run accidents. The most common are drug and alcohol impairment, speeding, driver distraction, cell phone use, and sleep deprivation drowsiness.

The pedestrian deaths tell a different story. It’s the number of deaths from speeding through red lights that have most worried officials. One of the major reasons for that is driver speeding.

There’s yet another problem in curbing red light running. Few who witness a hit-and-run incident from red light running will come forth. The standard procedure when one witnesses a hit and run is to call 911, take photographs, jot down the license plate and give a description of the vehicle and report it to the police when they arrive.

Unfortunately, many who witness hit-and-runs from red-light running will do none of those things. The reason is simple: They fear involvement and they fear possible harm to them if they do come forth with information about the driver.

The LAPD routinely offers a reward of $50,000 for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of a hit-and-run driver when there is a fatality. That has done little to move individuals who witness a hit-and-run fatality to come forth. The fear factor and the standard reluctance to “get involved” remain powerful disincentives for citizens to report hit-and-run killings.

Red-light running can be curbed. In fact, it must be curbed. It simply represents yet another hazard to Blacks and Hispanics.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. His forthcoming book is “Trump’s Obama Obsession” (Amazon ebook and Middle Passage Press). He also hosts the weekly news and issues commentary radio show “The Hutchinson Report” Wednesdays at 6 p.m. at ktymgospel.net and Facebook Livestreamed at facebook.com/earl.o.hutchinson.