Applying the lead foot after the light turns red is not only against the law, it can cost you your life.

A new study shows hundreds of drivers die each year speeding through intersections after the light's gone red. News Specialist Jill Atwood shows how Utah compares to other states.

Arizona ranks most dangerous as far as intersection fatalities go. Utah's about right in the middle at number 27. North Dakota has the least amount of fatalities with none.

The number of red light runners in the Salt Lake Valley is going up. And police want everyone to remember that the yellow light means slow down, not speed up.

Two cars blow through an intersection after the light is clearly red, but had they taken a good look right before, chances are they would have waited.

Ed Rust Jr. of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says, "What we're trying to do is get people thinking more about the severity of the issue of running red lights, and hopefully modify the behavior."

One way Salt Lake City hopes to modify the behavior is with it's new traffic control system.

From it's center, operators can synchronize lights to make your commute as smooth as possible.

Right now it's operating at about 50 percent, and is expected to be fully on-line with the completion of the I-15 construction project.

Traffic Operations Engineer Gerald Blair explains, "As people get used to driving a certain speed on a certain roadway, they will essentially make the lights. And this system provides that confidence, that if they drive the speed limit, they'll make the lights."

In theory, that should also cut down on red light runners. But just know, timing "isn't" everything when it comes to a safe commute.

"Drivers will drive as they feel comfortable and as they want to drive a system good or bad. Or fast or slow. All we can do is provide for the average driver, and the best situations," Blair says.