The little North Carolina town of Knightdale, just east of Raleigh, has grown a lot in the past year, but apparently a lot of that growth includes people who run red lights.

According to a story on WRAL.com, the red-light camera along route 64 capture speeders, red-light runners, and even some horrific traffic accidents, including one where a tractor-trailer slammed into a car, spun it around, and then hit it again.

Drivers who run a red light get a $50 ticket in the mail. What seems particularly disturbing is that the amount of fines Knightdale has collected in the past year from these red-light incidents has tripled. Yes, TRIPLED…from $9,000 to $27,000. That’s more than 10 dangerous intersection episodes each week–in little Knightdale!

“That is more or less a daily occurrence at the intersections,” said Shawn Brown, Knightdale’s public safety director and police chief. “People are using their cell phones, or they’re distracted in some way and don’t see the light.”  [from WRAL story]

Wow. Again we see the risks of distracted driving. No phone call is worth the risk to your life, or someone else’s life. If you must talk on the phone, we urge you to pull over…otherwise, put your phone in the back seat or the trunk, where you won’t be tempted to use it.

And for those of you who don’t practice DWD (Driving While Distracted), all we can say is this:  Keep your eyes open out there–don’t assume that everyone will stop at a red light. Sad (and dangerous) but true.