PUBLIC GOOD RELATIVE TO RIGHT-TURN-ON-RED IN SOUTH CAROLINA AND ALABAMA

The effects of South Carolina's and Alabama's right-turn-on-red (RTOR) laws on highway safety, fuel consumption, and air pollution were investigated. Accidents at signalized intersections involving right-turning vehicles (RT) before and after the passage of RTOR laws in both states were studied and compared with accidents at signalized intersections that did not involve vehicles making a right turn (NRT). Data for two years before and three years after the effective date of South Carolina's RTOR law were analyzed; the Alabama data included three years before and five years after. The findings of this study indicated that the rate of change of RT property damage accidents in South Carolina was significantly higher for RT property damage accidents in the after after period than the corresponding change for NRT accidents. The rate of change of RT property damage accidents in Alabama was not found to be significantly higher for RT accidents in the after period than the corresponding change for NRT accidents. The findings of this study also indicated that there was no significant difference in the rates of change of RT fatality or injury accidents when compared with the corresponding change for NRT fatality or injury accidents in both South Carolina and Alabama. This study could find no evidence that pedestrian accidents in either state increased as a result of RTOR operations. A further analysis was performed on fuel and travel time savings resulting from RTOR operations. Based on the findings of this study and the benefits estimated, no changes are warranted in either Alabama's or South Carolina's RTOR law, and the laws should remain in effect. (Author)

• Record URL:
  http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trr/1983/926/926-005.pdf
• Record URL:
  https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=PUBLIC+GOOD+RELATIVE+TO+RIGHT-TURN-ON-RED+IN+SOUTH+CAROLINA+AND+ALABAMA&author=J.+Clark&author=S.+Maghsoodloo&author=D.+Brown&publication_year=1983
• Availability:
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• Supplemental Notes:
  • Publication of this paper sponsored by Committee on Traffic Control Devices. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved
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• Authors:
  • Clark, J Edwin
  • Maghsoodloo, Saeed
  • Brown, David B
• Publication Date: 1983

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 24-31
• Monograph Title: TRAFFIC CONTROL DEVICES, 1983
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record
  • Issue Number: 926
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Air pollution; Before and after studies; Crash rates; Fatalities; Fuel consumption; Impact studies; Injuries; Loss and damage; Pedestrian vehicle crashes; Property; Right turn on red; Signalized intersections
• Uncontrolled Terms: Property damage
• Geographic Terms: Alabama; South Carolina
• Old TRIS Terms: Hinterland
• Subject Areas: Energy; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors; I73: Traffic Control;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00385229
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0309036151
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: May 30 1984 12:00AM