Under contract with the transportation and traffic engineering division of the dutch ministry of transport a study was carried out to explore the degree to which car drivers ignore the red phase of traffic lights. The number and type of red light violations have been recorded and categorised by an analysis of data from so-called red light cameras. Because of lack of knowledge about traffic volumes and some other important factors, it was also necessary to register all vehicle crossings. At one intersection crossings were recorded by means of a detector loop in the road surface, while at another intersection they were recorded by video. Mostly, the violations took place during the beginning of the red phase. In cases where they took place later, it turned out to be mostly during night or as a consequence of specific circumstances like reacting to the wrong traffic light or driving in the wrong lane. The calculation of a desired stopping time on the basis of approach speed, reaction time and deceleration shows that in many cases drivers are not able to stop comfortably.
Abstract