ACCIDENT EXPERIENCE AS RELATED TO REGULAR AND FLASHING OPERATION OF TRAFFIC SIGNALS

A GROUP OF 162 TRAFFIC SIGNALS IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA WAS CHANGED FROM FLASHING OPERATION IN THE EARLY HOURS OF THE MORNING TO FULL COLOR OPERATION. ACCIDENT EXPERIENCE AT THOSE LOCATIONS, CORRESPONDING TO THE HOURS INVOLVED, WAS ANALYZED FOR PERIODS OF FIVE MONTHS, IN 1964 AND 1965, BEFORE AND AFTER THE CHANGE. THE SAME ANALYSIS WAS CONDUCTED WITH OTHER GROUPS OF INTERSECTIONS WHERE NO CHANGE WAS MADE AND COMPARED WITH THE FIRST ANALYSIS. THE PURPOSE OF THIS INVESTIGATION WAS TO DETERMINE WHICH OVERALL TRENDS COMPENSATE EACH OTHER, AND ELIMINATE THE EFFECT OF VARIABLES OTHER THAN THE CHANGE IN SIGNAL OPERATION. THE RESULTS OF THE STUDY SHOWED THAT TOTAL ACCIDENTS DIMINISHED SIGNIFICANTLY BY ABOUT 40% AT THE LOCATIONS WHERE SIGNALS WERE CHANGED FROM FLASHING TO FULL COLORS AND DURING THE HOURS OF THE CHANGE. THOSE ACCIDENTS REPRESENT APPROXIMATELY 2% OF THE TOTAL TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS IN WASHINGTON, D.C. ABOUT 60% FEWER ANGLE COLLISIONS OCCURRED AFTER THE CHANGE WAS MADE, WHILE ALL PERSONAL INJURY WERE DOWN MORE THAN 50%. /AUTHOR/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Hpr, 613
• Corporate Authors:

  Dist of Columbia Dept Hwys & Traffic

  ,    
• Authors:
  • Radelat, G
• Publication Date: 1967-1-9

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Crash rates; Crashes; Flashing traffic signals; Injuries; Traffic signals
• Geographic Terms: Washington (District of Columbia)
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00224837
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Bureau of Public Roads /US
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Feb 1 1994 12:00AM