WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah — Keeping people safe on the roads is one of the most important parts of being a police officer, including those sworn to protect and serve in West Valley City.
One of the most common traffic violations seen by Officer Kenny Powell? Running red lights.
"People will just roll up on a red light and make their right turn without stopping," he said. "You got to make sure you come to a complete stop so people going the other way don't hit you."
On Tuesday, Powell was out doing red light enforcement as part of West Valley City's new "Stop on Red" campaign.
"Through a series of public service announcements and enforcement activities and efforts from our police department, we're trying to change that behavior and reduce the number of serious crashes we're seeing from red light violations," explained Deputy Chief Mike Fossmo.
According to the West Valley City Police Department, in the last year alone, the city has seen about 8 deaths as a result of someone running a red light.
"I think we're all seeing it," said Fossmo. "You sit at any section long enough, you're seeing people run red lights, some through the yellows, proceeding through the yellows and hitting the gas instead of covering the brake."
West Valley City isn't alone in seeing the problem. It's an issue the Utah Department of Transportation is witnessing across the Wasatch Front.
"It's something along with other aggressive driving behaviors we've seen on the rise over the last 3-4 years, and you know we're still looking into why that may be," added UDOT spokesperson John Gleason.
Through the "Stop on Red" campaign, West Valley City hope drivers will think twice before hitting the gas on a yellow or red light.
"We're asking that the motorists pay attention, they be accountable to themselves and everybody else on the roadway," said Fossmo. "Slow things down, keep themselves safe, and change that behavior."
