CHARACTERISTICS OF RED-LIGHT VIOLATORS - RESULTS OF A FIELD INVESTIGATION

A substantial proportion of urban motor-vehicle crashes occur at inter sections, and many intersection crashes involve drivers running throug h red lights. The present study used data collected by an automated ca mera, trained observers, and department of motor vehicle records to pr ovide a profile of red light runners at an urban intersection. It comp ares characteristics of these drivers and their vehicles with those of a comparison group of drivers that had an opportunity to run the red light but did not. Red light runners, as a group, were younger, less l ikely to wear seat belts, had poorer driving records, and drove smalle r and older vehicles than the drivers who did not run red lights. Rese arch has shown that red light running can be reduced through automated enforcement using red light cameras and by environmental modification s, such as changing traffic signal timing.