Drive safely during back-to-school season.

• Position: YOUR LIFE - Running red lights - Brief article

The Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C., is sending drivers an important reminder to slow down, stay alert, and stop for red lights and stop signs now that the nation's children are going back to school. In California alone, for instance, red light and stop sign running killed 167 people and seriously injured 20,000 more in a recent 12-month period.

'The consequences that are associated with running a red light or stop sign are far too serious to risk by making a careless decision," says Rhonda Craft, director of the California Office of Traffic and Safety, Sacramento. "Making a simple choice to obey traffic signals is all that it takes to help protect yourself and the lives of those around you."

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Arlington, Va., about half of the deaths in...