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Sunday, January 31, 2010

Ind. Law - "Red-light runners rampant: Definitions vary; ticketing makes little difference"

What exactly is a "red light" is expored in this story today by Benjamin Lanka of the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette. Some quotes from the long story:

Stopping for a red light apparently is far from a black-and-white issue.

The concept is simple enough to be understood by most children, but Fort Wayne drivers have widely varying interpretations on what it really means.

Even Fort Wayne police and the city’s traffic engineer disagreed on what constitutes a violation.

What is clear is that regardless of interpretation, Summit City drivers often choose to ignore that bright red bulb. Hundreds of motorists are ticketed for the offense even in the slowest years. * * *

The problem is so prevalent that Laura McCoy, a driving instructor for Fort Wayne Community Schools, teachers her students not to enter an intersection until they check for drivers running reds, especially at downtown intersections where sightlines are blocked.

“There are so many people in Fort Wayne who run those lights downtown,” she said. “You almost plan on somebody running that light.” * * *

Not everyone agreed on what constitutes a violation.

Maze said officers can cite a driver if any part of that driver’s vehicle is in the intersection when a light turns red. This means drivers who enter on yellow and don’t make it through can get a ticket.

Shan Gunawardena, city traffic engineer, said he believed vehicles are allowed to enter an intersection while the signal is yellow, even if the light changes to red while the vehicle is in the intersection. He said this is the interpretation the city uses to design its intersections.

It was not until after an inquiry by The Journal Gazette that the city confirmed the police interpretation of the law is correct.

Many years ago when a traffic signal switched to red, traffic in the opposite direction was given a green light immediately. Crashes caused by people running reds and jumping greens led to the start of the all-red sequence.

Gunawardena said the duration a traffic light remains red in all directions is based on the amount of time needed to safely clear an intersection of all vehicles that entered on yellow. This varies based on the size of the intersection. For the intersection of Covington Road and West Jefferson Boulevard, the interval is 4.5 seconds, but he said most intersections are between 1 and 2 seconds.

McCoy, of FWCS, said knowing when to stop at an intersection is one of the most difficult decisions for new drivers. She said what is most important is for drivers to make a decision and stick with it, whether it’s stopping early or continuing through a yellow or red light. Problems are caused when drivers brake and then speed up or slam on the brakes when they are already in an intersection.

“With a new driver, indecision can be the worst problem,” she said. * * *

The two biggest factors that cause drivers to run red lights are inattention to the road and frustration caused by congestion, he said.

All the engineering for the safety of an intersection is based on posted speed limits, he said. He added that drivers who speed will typically be forced to enter an intersection later in a signal because they are going too fast to brake safely for a red light.

“When you are approaching a traffic signal it is important to be doing the speed limit or less,” he said.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on January 31, 2010 11:32 AM
Posted to Indiana Law