- Saratoga Springs is cracking down on drivers running red lights amid rapid growth.
- Police report a 32% increase in traffic signal violation crashes since 2021.
SARATOGA SPRINGS – One of Utah's fastest-growing cities is dealing with the growing problem of drivers running red lights.
Saratoga Springs police said the problem is getting worse as the population grows rapidly.
"Running a red light is dangerous and puts everyone on the road at risk," the city said in a Facebook post on Monday, adding that police will "step up enforcement measures on these and other traffic violations."
According to data from the Utah Department of Public Safety, Saratoga Springs has seen a steady increase of crashes involving traffic signal violations – a 32% jump since 2021.
"Everybody's in a hurry. Everything's more condensed. Everybody needs to get places," said Saratoga Springs police officer Eric Briggs. "There's a lot more traffic than what there used to be, and just a lot of people aren't used to it."
Briggs said police will focus part of their ramped-up enforcement of traffic signal violations on the city's major intersections.
"Just slow down. If it adds another five minutes to your drive, it's not that big of a deal. There's worse things in the world than being late," he said. "Or leave your house a little early. That way, you're not relying on just green lights and thinking you can just make yellows. There's just way too many people running red lights and causing accidents."
According to the state data, there were 2,456 crashes in Utah in 2025 involving traffic signal violations in intersections. Of that total, 108 crashes led to serious injuries, while nine of them involved fatalities.
Across the state and in Saratoga Springs specifically, according to the data, most of those crashes happened during the day when visibility was highest.
"A lot of people just misjudge it and think they can make it," Briggs said, "and it turns red before they even touch the intersection."
