The West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program (GHSP) is partnering with law enforcement officers across the state during the statewide high-visibility Target Red enforcement mobilization that runs April 1-15, 2026. Officers will be targeting motorists who fail to stop at red traffic lights and stop signs.
"Running red lights and stop signs is not just a national issue. Every day in West Virginia, drivers speed through intersections when they should have stopped on red," said Jack McNeely, Director of the GHSP. “Yellow traffic lights caution motorists that the red light is about to appear and does not mean to ‘go fast’,” continued McNeely. “Similarly, stop signs are NOT yield signs. No matter if there is traffic or not, you must always stop at stop signs.”
Drivers should always be aware of traffic lights and be prepared to stop should the light begin to change. Officers will be focused on drivers that fail to stop at red traffic lights or stop signs. The traditional “rolling” stop will result in a citation. A “rolling” stop is a misnomer. There is no stopping involved, just slowing down, which may be appropriate for a yield sign, but is never appropriate or legal when it comes to stop signs.
According to the National Coalition for Safer Roads, 1 in 3 Americans knows someone who has been injured or killed in a red-light running crash. Obeying traffic lights and stop signs not only protects you, but it protects the people you care about.
From 2016-2020, intersection-related crashes accounted for 18 percent of all crashes in West Virginia, accounting for 14% of all fatalities and 19% of all serious injuries, according to the West Virginia Department of Transportation. Speeding and aggressive driving was the number one causal factor in intersection-related crashes during this time frame. According to the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), between 2019 and 2023, there were 148 fatal crashes at intersections in West Virginia. Nationally, 46,712 fatal crashes during that same time frame involved intersections. Forty-six thousand, seven hundred and twelve families whose lives were forever changed because someone ran a red light or stop sign.
The Target Red campaign was first conducted in the Beckley, WV area in 2008. Prior to the campaign, red light violations and resulting crashes, injuries, and fatalities rose to alarming levels. When targeted enforcement and education began, incidents were reduced by 60%.
Red means stop. Slow down. Save a life. STOP on red.
To learn more about the West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program, visit highwaysafety.wv.gov or call 304-926-2509.