Flashing lights at intersections cause more crashes
December 26, 2011
A civil engineering research team from the University of Texas determined that intersections with flashing lights have three times more accidents than those with only stop signs. They also determined that intersections with highway frontage roads are more dangerous than other intersections, reports Bloomberg Business Week. This study was undertaken so that future studies can consider the causes of such accidents and make these intersections safer.
“Understanding their causes should be a priority for transportation and safety professionals, so that we can develop countermeasures to reduce the high incidence of crashes and resulting deaths and injuries at intersections,” said Professor Chandra Bhat, the leader of the study.
About 40 percent of all traffic accidents take place at intersections. Drivers exiting highways are also more likely to crash.
A key finding in the study is that intersection accidents are affected by the larger traffic patterns around them. Fixing a high risk intersection will reduce accidents on neighboring streets.
“If you don’t account for this dependence, which is what almost all earlier studies have done, you underestimate the value of roadway and traffic control improvements,” Bhat said.
Intersections with traffic lights are the safest, except when people blow through red lights.
The findings of this study will be presented to the National Transportation Safety Board next month.
Have you or someone you know been injured in a Texas auto accident?
The Texas car accident lawyer at Terry Bryant Accident & Injury Law may be able to help.
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