Houston roads are never the safest places and there have been several recent traffic fatalities as proof.

Tuesday night, around 10:50 p.m., the unidentified male victim, 20, ran a red light in his Ford Taurus in the 6700 block of the West Sam Houston Parkway North service road. A black Lincoln MK2, heading northbound, hit the Taurus, killing the victim instantly.

The driver of the Lincoln was taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital in unknown condition.

This article appears in Mar 24-30, 2011.

Jeff Balke is a writer, editor, photographer, tech expert and native Houstonian. He has written for a wide range of publications and co-authored the official 50th anniversary book for the Houston Rockets.