Red Light Running In Iowa

At head of title: National Cooperative Highway Research Program.

This research study examines the scope of red light running in Iowa, reviewed red light reduction studies and programs nationwide, and proposed countermeasures to address significant violation problems.

This book comprises select proceedings of the National Conference on Recent Advances in Traffic Engineering (RATE 2018) with technical papers on the themes of traffic operation control and management, traffic safety and vulnerable road users, and sustainable transportation. It covers a wide range of topics, including advanced traffic data collection methods, big data analysis, mix-traffic characterization and modelling, travel time reliability, scenario of pedestrian and non-motorised vehicles (NMVs) traffic, regional traffic growth modelling, and applications of intelligent transportation systems (ITS) in traffic management. The contents of this book offer up-to-date and practical knowledge on different aspects of traffic engineering, which is useful for students, researchers as well as practitioners.

Red light running (RLR) is a problem in the US that has resulted in 165,000 injuries and 907 fatalities annually. In Iowa, RLR-related crashes make up 24.5 percent of all crashes and account for 31.7 percent of fatal and major injury crashes at signalized intersections. RLR crashes are a safety concern due to the increased likelihood of injury compared to other types of crashes. One tool used to combat red light running is automated enforcement in the form of RLR cameras. Automated enforcement, while effective, is often controversial. Cedar Rapids, Iowa installed RLR and speeding cameras at seven intersections across the city. The intersections were chosen based on crash rates and whether cameras could feasibly be placed at the intersection approaches. The cameras were placed starting in February 2010 with the last one becoming operational in December 2010. An analysis of the effect of the cameras on safety at these intersections was determined prudent in helping to justify the installation and effectiveness of the cameras. The objective of this research was to assess the safety effectiveness of the RLR program that has been implemented in Cedar Rapids. This was accomplished by analyzing data to determine changes in the following areas: Reductions in red light violation rates based on overall changes, time of day changes, and changes by lane; Effectiveness of the cameras over time; Time in which those running the red light enter the intersection; Changes in the average headway between vehicles entering the intersection.