Field Testing of a Proposed Pavement Marking as a Red Light Running Countermeasure

Abstract

When a motorist approaches a signalized intersection during the signal change period (changing from green to yellow), he/she is required to make a stop/go decision. A proposed pavement marking with a word message of “SIGNAL AHEAD” was proposed to be positioned at the stop sight distance from the intersection stop-bar to assist the driver in making a proper stop/go decision without running a red light or making an abrupt stop. This paper examined effectiveness of the marking as a red light running violation countermeasure through a field study. Red light running behaviors were recorded at a test intersection (with marking) and a control intersection (without marking) as a comparison. A reduction in the red light running rate was observed after the marking was applied at the test intersection, while the red light running rate did not shift significantly at the control intersection, leading to the conclusion that the marking has a good potential as a red light running countermeasure.