Perhaps the first rule that a new driver learns is that a green light means “go.” Unfortunately, not all of them seem to learn that a red light means “stop.”

Every single day, industry experts claim, an average of two people lose their lives when someone runs a red light. Some of these are people are on foot or riding bikes, but many of them are simply in cars that were legally driving through the green light. They trusted that they’d be safe at the intersection, but then someone broke the law or made a critical mistake and that safety was taken away.

Plus, the statistic above is just for fatal crashes. There are far more red-light accidents than that, and many people are seriously injured. Just because you live through the crash doesn’t mean that life is not forever altered. You could have a spinal cord injury, a burn injury or a traumatic brain injury — just to name a few.

So what should you do?

The best thing you can do is to look for red-light runners. If you’re waiting at a light when it turns green, don’t just blindly trust it and start driving. Take a moment to look both ways, determine if the intersection is actually safe, and then drive. Remember that a traffic light is just a light. It won’t keep you safe if someone ignores it and runs the red.

Naturally, though, even vigilance can’t prevent all of these accidents, and they’re certainly not your fault if you had the green light. Be sure you know what rights you have to compensation for medical bills and other costs.