The Red Light Running Crisis

The UCF Driving simulator was used to test a proposed pavement-marking design. This marking is placed upstream of signalized intersections to assist the motorists with advance warning concerning the occurrence of the clearance interval. The results of the experiment have indicated promising results for intersection safety. Firstly compared to regular intersections, the pavement marking could results in a 74.3 percent reduction in red-light running. In comparison, the pavement marking reduced the number of occurrences where drivers chose to continue through an intersection when it was not safe to proceed compared to the without marking, and this result is correlated to less red-light running rate with marking. According to survey results, all of the tested subjects gave a positive evaluation of the pavement-marking countermeasure and nobody felt confused or uncomfortable when they made stop-go decision. In comparison between scenarios without marking and with marking, there is no significant difference found in the operation speeds and drivers brake response time, which proved that the marking has no significantly negative effect on driver behaviors at intersections. The UCF driving simulator was also used to test vertical and horizontal visibility blockages. For the horizontal visibility blockage, two sub-scenarios were designed, and the results confirmed that LTVs contribute to the increase of rear-end collisions on the roads. This finding may be contributed to the fact that LTVs cause horizontal visibility blockage. Indeed, the results showed that passenger car drivers behind LTVs are prone to speed more and to keep a small gap with the latter relatively to driving behind passenger cars. From the survey analysis 65% of the subjects said that they drive close to LTVs in real life. As for the vertical visibility blockage, three sub-scenarios were designed in the driving simulator, and the results confirmed that LSVs increase the rate of red light running significantly due to vertical visibility blockage of the traffic signal pole. However, the behavior of the drivers when they drive behind LSVs is not different then their behavior when drive behind passenger cars. The suggested addition of the traffic signal pole on the side of the road significantly decreased the red light running rate. Moreover, 65% of the subjects driving behind an LSV with the proposed additional traffic signal pole said that the traffic signal pole is effective and that it should be applied to real world.

Red light running, which is defined as the act of a motorist entering an intersection after the traffic signal has turned red, caused almost 5,000 crashes in Virginia in 2003, resulting in at least 18 deaths and more than 3,800 injuries. In response to a June 2, 2004, directive from Virginia Secretary of Transportation Whittington W. Clement, an evaluation of the photo-red enforcement programs that operate in Virginia was undertaken. Generally, Virginia's photo-red programs are technically feasible. Case law strongly indicates that the programs pass legal muster in the three key areas: privacy, equal protection, and due process, and public opinion surveys suggest that roughly two-thirds of respondents support red light cameras. There is, however, a practical issue with regard to issuing citations for out-of-state motorists, as noted in the report. Although an economic analysis was not feasible in the study time frame, a limited fiscal analysis suggests that, in general, Virginia localities are not generating net revenue. Finally, an operational analysis based on violations and crashes shows a potential but not definite safety improvement. The cameras clearly affect driver behavior; across the 23 intersections where reliable citation data could be obtained, citations decreased by an average of 21% per intersection. Further the data show that the cameras are correlated with a definite decrease in crashes that are directly attributable to red light running, a definite increase in rear-end crashes, a possible decrease in angle crashes, a net decrease in injury crashes attributable to red light running, and an increase in total injury crashes. More time is needed to determine whether the severity of the eliminated red light running crashes was greater than that of the induced rear-end crashes. The report recommends that Virginia's photo-red enforcement programs be continued for an additional year to resolve this question and to collect additional data that was not feasible during the 6-month time frame of this report.

The objectives of this research project are to: (1) quantify the safety impact of red-light-running at intersections in Texas, and (2) provide guidelines for identifying truly problem intersections and whether enforcement or engineering countermeasures are appropriate. This report documents the findings from the first year of a two-year project. During the first year, data were collected to quantify the character and extent of red-light violations and related crashes in Texas. Data were also collected to quantify the effectiveness of intersection traffic control enforcement. The findings from a review of the literature on red-light-running and an analysis of red-light-running crash data are included in this report. A procedure for identifying and quantifying red-light-running-related crashes is described.

Hallucination-focused Integrative Treatment (HIT) is a specific treatment for auditory verbal hallucinations which integrates techniques from CBT, systems therapy, psychoeducation, coping training, rehabilitation and medication. It emphasises active family involvement, crisis intervention when required and specialised motivational strategies. In clinical trials HIT has been proven to have longer lasting and wider ranging effects than other therapies, high patient satisfaction scores and a low drop-out rate. In Hallucination-focused Integrative Therapy, Jack Jenner presents a full manual for using HIT with patients. Divided into five parts, the book offers a clear and straightforward explanation of each aspect of the treatment. Part One introduces auditory verbal hallucinations in their social and historical context. Part Two explains the need for an integrative approach to treating them and sets out the eleven-step diagnostic procedure. Part Three describes the treatment in full, including motivational strategies, the constituent modules and how to integrate them, flexible implementation of a tailor-made procedure and its overall effectiveness. It also demonstrates the use of HIT with specific patient groups, including those suffering from trauma, children and adolescents, those who are suicidal and those with learning difficulties. Part Four examines other hallucination-focused therapies. Finally, Part Five covers insight-oriented psychotherapies. The book also includes several appendices of supplementary material which enhance the content. Illustrated throughout with case studies and clinical material, Hallucination-focused Integrative Therapy will be of interest to psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric nurses and social workers working with patients who experience auditory verbal hallucinations.