perhaps the answer is not with the yellow light but with the cross section red light which is routinely set with a one second delay to green after the opposing light turns red. If the delay were extended to two or three seconds it would probably avoid many accidents.
Mr. Rakha is on the right track to pursue correct yellow intervals. They are important to safety and critical to prevent abuses with red light cameras for revenue.
But, if a driver trips the red by for example 0.7 seconds and takes 1.5 seconds to completely clear the intersection for a total of 2.2 seconds they are in the intersection when it is red — this is NOT a safety issue in most cases.
The drivers in the cross traffic at the red light take about one second to react that the light is now green for them and take about another second to actually move into the intersection. They can also see the vehicle that is almost clear of the intersection in the last few tenths of a second of that 2.2 second interval and are most unlikely to accelerate hard enough to deliberately t-bone that driver.
Properly set yellow and all-red intervals will eliminate virtually all risks of inadvertent and unintentional red light violations that lead to accidents.
We have updated our privacy policy to be more clear and meet the new requirements of the GDPR. By continuing to use our site, you accept our revised Privacy Policy.
if you extend the time, people will attempt to take advantage of it and push it just the same as they do now.
perhaps the answer is not with the yellow light but with the cross section red light which is routinely set with a one second delay to green after the opposing light turns red. If the delay were extended to two or three seconds it would probably avoid many accidents.
Mr. Rakha is on the right track to pursue correct yellow intervals. They are important to safety and critical to prevent abuses with red light cameras for revenue.
But, if a driver trips the red by for example 0.7 seconds and takes 1.5 seconds to completely clear the intersection for a total of 2.2 seconds they are in the intersection when it is red — this is NOT a safety issue in most cases.
The drivers in the cross traffic at the red light take about one second to react that the light is now green for them and take about another second to actually move into the intersection. They can also see the vehicle that is almost clear of the intersection in the last few tenths of a second of that 2.2 second interval and are most unlikely to accelerate hard enough to deliberately t-bone that driver.
Properly set yellow and all-red intervals will eliminate virtually all risks of inadvertent and unintentional red light violations that lead to accidents.
James C. Walker, National Motorists Association