Consequences of running the red light.
The dilemma zone at the onset of amber.
racing to beat the amber light before it turned red. Simultaneously, the motorcyclist, waiting in the yellow box, crossed the intersection just as the lights changed. It was not immediately clear whether the driver of the MPV was deliberately running the red light or was in a dilemma zone.
Drivers often face a problem when reaching a traffic light at the onset of amber; they can either apply the brakes or proceed through the intersection. Researchers termed this zone as the dilemma zone, in which it is neither possible to proceed straight at constant speed to clear the stop line nor possible to stop safely at the stop line.
A study carried out by Che Puan & Ismail observed eight separate intersections with different types of traffic controllers installed to study the dilemma zone. They stated that the dilemma zone is formed when, at the onset of amber, a driver’ s clearing distance is less than his or her safe stopping distance from the stop line. In their analysis, sudden stopping, accelerating through the amber signal and red light running were used as indicators of conflicts caused by the dilemma zone.
Factors affecting Red Light Running There are a few factors influencing red light running and the characteristics of red light runners. These factors were categorised into three sub-topics: engineering and intersection related, human and vehicle related and traffic and setting related.
Engineering and Intersection related Engineering and intersection related factors have been studied and discussed substantially in literature. The most notable factors are type of controller, signal duration, width of intersection and distance to intersection. There are three types of traffic signal controllers: fixed time, vehicleactuated and with countdown timer. The study by Che Puan & Ismail found that the rate of red light running was lower at intersections with vehicleactuated traffic lights as compared to those with fixed-timed. The researchers however concluded that the reduction could be due to the longer amber period provided by the vehicle-actuated signals being studied rather than entirely owed to the use of vehicle-actuated signals itself. In another study conducted by Kulanthayan, Phang & Hayati, it was discovered that the number of red light running cases increased at intersections without a countdown timer.
Poor signal timing may cause drivers to lose patience and violate the red light. There are beliefs and considerations that shorter or longer cycle lengths do have an effect on the traffic light violations. Kulanthayan observed more traffic light violations during long signal duration cycles( above 160 seconds). On the other hand, Che Puan & Ismail found that the rate of red light running was significantly reduced when the duration of the amber period was longer than the required length.
Human and Vehicle related Human factors play the biggest role in red light running. Some key characteristics and behaviour predicting red light running found in literature is that most of the red light runners are young, male, less likely to wear safety belts, have poor driving records, had consumed alcohol and drive smaller and older vehicles. A study by Retting in the United States found that males below the age of 30 with prior alcohol-related driving offenses and have invalid driver’ s licenses are highly likely to run the red light.
In Malaysia, motorcycles comprise more than 50 % of vehicles that share the road and motorcyclists make up the highest number of fatalities each year. A study conducted by the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research
33