PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — If you're a runner or a cyclist, chances are you've had a run in with traffic at some point. 

In this week’s Traffic Inbox, Real Time Traffic Expert Chuck Henson shares a personal story to tie into a national campaign - Stop on Red.

Jose Perez of Pinellas County took a tumble on his bike recently.

What You Need To Know

"It was really instinctual when it happened,” Perez said. “And I'm glad I was the first in the pack, because I ride my bike a lot, so I'm very aware of that crossbar as far as vehicles. So I'm glad it was me. It happened really, really fast."

Henson was there when it happened.

"All right, full disclosure, Jose is one of my best friends,” Henson said. “And to be honest with you, to watch him go over his handlebars and nearly get hit by a car, it hit way too close to home."

And it could have been avoided if the driver of the car had stopped at the stop bar and not rolled through it.

Last week was Stop on Red week. It's a national effort to remind drivers that stop signs, stop lights and stop bars painted on the road are there to keep us all safe.

"You have stop signs, you have stop lights, and at every one of those intersections we have what's called the stop bar, which is a thick painted white line in the street that cars are required to stop at before,” said Sgt. Michael Schade of the St. Petersburg Police Department. “And what happens is, we have a lot of people that will do either a rolling stop or they'll roll through a red light and they don't stop at that stop bar."

That's exactly what happened to Jose.

"I didn't know if he would hit me or not but I knew I had to stop because he wasn't,” he said.

Thankfully, Jose only had a few minor scraps. The driver who caused the tumble sped away without a word.

In addition to the human toll, failing to stop like that can hit your wallet hard.

"A stop bar or stop sign violation is $166 violation and three points on your license,” Schade said. “A red light violation is an enhanced penalty. It’s $264 and three points on your license."

Let's all be more aware of our surroundings as a driver.  Share the road, and stop completely on red