Most people would agree that with tens of thousands of serious car accidents every year, every possible step should be taken to reduce the number of accidents. While some people disagree about certain aspects of achieving this goal, there are some changes that studies have clearly shown could have a positive impact on the number of car accidents.
Longer Yellow Lights Can Make All the Difference
Cities with longer yellow-light intervals have fewer car accidents – it is that simple. This has been found to be particularly true when it comes to longer yellow lights coupled with red-light cameras. These prevent drivers from slamming on their brakes, which is likely to cause an accident – and drivers who rush through yellow lights are less likely to be hit when the opposing traffic’s light takes longer to turn green. Studies show that all it takes is an increase of half a second to make a difference.
Making All Lights Red
Known as “All-Red Clearance Intervals,” this involves all lights at an intersection turning red for a certain number of seconds. This creates an interval in which no vehicles are moving, which means that there is a lower chance of an accident. This has been tested in moderately sized cities like Detroit and it has been shown to be a low-cost solution to intersections with rampant red-light runners.
Increasing the Size of Traffic Lights
Detroit also increased the size of traffic light lenses by as much as 50% and found that it also had an effect on the number of car accidents. The idea is that larger light lenses allow drivers to see the traffic lights more easily and from further away, which can help drivers stop in time for red lights – especially on higher speed roads.
Get Rid of All Visual Obstructions
Boosting the size of traffic lights is a great way to help motorists see traffic lights, but if the light is still visually obstructed then it does not matter what size it is. If an intersection has a lot of red-light runners, it may be that these drivers do not see the red light. Perhaps moving the traffic light and repositioning it away from trees, wires, and other obstructions can make it easier to see. Adding signs that indicate a signal is coming up can be helpful too.
Call Us if You Are Involved in an Accident
If you are involved in a motor vehicle accident, your next call should be to a personal injury attorney to find out what your options are. Contact Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas at 909-982-0707 now for a free legal consultation. We can carefully consider the case and determine what the best path forward would be.
