BOZEMAN — If you’ve driven around Bozeman long enough, you’ve probably seen it — maybe even done it yourself — running red lights.
It might not seem like a big deal until it is.
“What’s it like driving around Bozeman?” Myles Batson was asked. “It’s an experience for sure,” he said.
Batson has lived in Bozeman for just over a year. In that time, he’s seen drivers run red lights “pretty frequently.”
WATCH: Bozeman's roads are getting more dangerous. Is the new traffic unit the answer?
“I mean, I have run a red light before. Police don’t arrest me,” he joked.
When shown a video circulating online of a semi-truck nearly colliding with a car on Jackrabbit Lane after running a red light, Batson replied to my question.
“Running red lights — everyone does it now and again. But when does it become an issue?"
VIDEO EXTRA: Near collision on Jackrabbit Lane
"When you’re blatantly ignoring what the light is saying. Especially in that video, that person almost got hit because of that semi.”
Red-light running isn’t the only concern on Bozeman’s roads.
Last Thursday morning, 39-year-old Leslie Brown was killed while crossing Oak Street when a driver failed to stop. Flowers now pile up at the site of the accident.
Bozeman Police say it’s part of a broader problem.
“As a police department, we’ve received complaints that there’s a lot of aggressive driving around Bozeman,” Officer Giermek said. “People are speeding in school zones. People aren’t yielding in crosswalks — things of that nature.”
Giermek has served with the Bozeman Police for about a year and a half. Five months ago, in October, he became a patrol officer with the department’s traffic unit.
“The Bozeman Police Department used to have a traffic unit, and it went away for a little while. Now we felt the need for it to come back,” Giermek said.
According to the Bozeman Police Traffic Dashboard, between October 2024 and October 2025 — before the unit was reinstated — there were 2,421 traffic violations. In the five months since the unit returned, officers have already recorded 2,759 violations.
“So we’ve had a huge increase in traffic stops,” Giermek said.
That stepped-up enforcement is especially visible in school zones.
“Well, Bozeman is growing as a city. The population is getting bigger. People are coming from all different places, and with that come different driving styles. We want to make sure we can make Bozeman as safe as possible for the community,” Giermek said.
Batson said he appreciates the effort.
“There’s nobody in the world who hasn’t sped before or run a red light, but if they’re cracking down on the stuff that’s like, ‘Hey, if you’re just impatient, be patient,’ it’s going to make things safer,” he said.
Giermek said the department hopes to expand the traffic unit in the future.
RELATED: A pedestrian lost their life crossing Oak Street in Bozeman Thursday morning. Neighbors say the dangers on this road have been building for years.
