Index Terms

Red Light Running (RLR) has become an increasely major national safety issue at signalized intersections. Significant efforts have been made to understand the RLR related driver behaviors and develop countermeasures to reduce RLR and its related crashes. At high speed intersections, it has been well shown that drivers caught in the dilemma zone is an important reason of RLR. While at arterial intersections, there are still needs to further investigate into RLR related driver behaviors. We carried out our research at a well-designed arterial intersection (speed limit 35 mph to 30 mph, approach dependent) and collected data using multiple discrete point sensors at different distances-to-intersection from multiple approaches. Empirical data showed that for over 90 % of the RLRs, the drivers were not trapped in dilemma zone at yellow onset. Instead, they could have stopped safely and comfortably. Further analysis of the empirical data showed that over 60 % of the RLR were with a headway less than 2 seconds, or belonged to a platoon. The average headway of RLR vehicles were 5 % − 10 % less than that of vehicles going through yellow. The findings were used in the development of an all-red interval extension system for intersection collision avoidance