Motorists drive through 278 red lights a minute

New research from Direct Line car insurance reveals that motorists are driving through 12 million red lights each month on British roads – the equivalent of running 278 red lights every minute.

Over 5.2 million (14%) motorists admit that they drive through an average of two red traffic lights each month. Over 760,000 (2%) motorists habitually drive through red lights if they feel the road is clear and there is no traffic.

As a result of their reckless behaviour at red lights, drivers risk clocking up over 36 million penalty points (three for each offence) and fines from fixed penalty notices totalling £721 million every month.

A worryingly high number of motorists, dubbed ‘amber gamblers,’ are putting their lives and other road-users at risk by failing to slow down for traffic lights about to turn red. Almost one in ten motorists don't reduce their speed when approaching amber lights, with 4% admitting to putting the accelerator to the floor to race through the lights.

One in twenty motorists also risk head-on collisions by driving through temporary traffic lights, as they assume the lights are broken if they take more than a couple of minutes to change.