Red light running is a dangerous form of aggressive driving.  Nationally (in 2000), approximately 106,000 crashes, 89,000 injuries, and 1036 deaths were attributed to running red lights. Public costs exceed $7 billion. In a survey performed by Old Dominion University, 55.8 percent of Americans admit to running red lights; yet 96 percent of drivers were afraid of being hit by a red light runner.

Red light running cameras are not allowed in Utah for intersections with speeds posted over 25 miles per hour. In order for a violation to be adjudicated, an officer must testify that the signal was red. Previously, two officers were needed at an intersection: one to safely observe the red signal and the violation, and the other to apprehend the violator. One drawback of this method is that it requires the testimony of both officers, reducing personnel availability for enforcement. In cases where only one officer worked an intersection, the officer would have to follow the violator through the intersection, an action which is obviously very dangerous for both the officer and the cross traffic. A new method was needed to increase safety at the target intersections through efficient, legally supported apprehension of violators.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The goals of this project were to:

• Increase the safety of traffic law enforcement officers;

• Decrease the red light running violations (which increases intersection safety); and

• Reduce the number of officers needed to safely enforce red light running violations.

STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES

The Utah Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) used technology transfer funds to purchase over 100 red light running confirmation lights for a demonstration project in the Salt Lake Valley. Confirmation lights are light bulbs that are attached to the top of the traffic signal that light up when the signal is red. The lights can be seen from 360 degrees letting officers know when the signal is red from any angle of the intersection. This enables a single officer to watch traffic on the far side of the intersection, detect when violators are passing through the red signal, and safely pull violators over. Since the lights are hardwired directly to the traffic signal, the courts have accepted the use of the confirmation lights, which makes the prosecution of the case less complex and costly.  

RESULTS

The Utah Department of Transportation has begun analysis of the pre- and post- installation impacts of the confirmation lights. Although the data from this demonstration project is not yet available, similar projects around the nation have been successful in reducing crashes.