Red Light Violations in Southwest Florida Tied to Two Recent Fatal Crashes

Fatal crashes plague Naples roads as drivers speed through red lights. Police data shows two deaths stemmed from these violations, pointing to mounting risks at local crossings.

"Our last three traffic homicides that we had in the city, two of them were red light runners," said Sgt. Greg Sheridan of the Naples Police Department, according to WINK News.

Collier County officers wrote 1,327 citations from September 2024 through August 2025. Naples police issued 98 tickets already — more than last year's total of 90.

Without red light cameras, officers watch crossings using pole-mounted blue lights. Sgt. Sheridan spelled out the rules: "The statute is very clear. When you look at an intersection, as long as you're within the intersection, when the light turns red to go through. There's a stop bar, which I'll show you over here, if you're if you haven't passed the stop bar yet you're not in the intersection, you must stop."

Chris Overcash, who moved to the area, thinks slow signals push drivers to break rules. "The first thing I noticed when we moved here, tell my wife, is it's been almost five minutes. Is this these lights? Most of them are, they're too long, and people don't want to wait for the light," he said.

Now Overcash waits five seconds at green lights. "I've had people blow the horn because they didn't like the fact that I stopped," he added.

This mix of careful and rushed drivers breeds tension on local streets. Some residents blast red light runners as reckless, showing no regard for others' lives.

Officers keep watch and write tickets, but the problem persists. Sgt. Sheridan, while stopping yet another violator, called these infractions "an epidemic" on Naples roads.