A STUDY TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTS OF DRIVER REACTION TO THE STOP SIGN AND RED FLASHER

THIS FOLLOW-UP REPORT TO A PILOT STUDY DONE IN 1966 EVALUATES THE BEHAVIOUR OF 5,197 DRIVERS AT RURAL AND URBAN INTERSECTIONS IN ONTARIO, CANADA CONTROLLED BY STOP SIGNS FITTED WITH RED FLASHER BEACONS. CERTAIN CHARACTERISTIC MEASUREMENTS, SUCH AS STOP SIGN OBSERVANCE WITH THE FLASHER ON AND OFF DURING DAY AND NIGHT, SIGHT DISTANCE STUDY, STEP- WISE MULTIPLE REGRESSION ANALYSIS, ETC, WERE COMPLETED AT EACH INTERSECTION AND ARE ILLUSTRATED BY TABLES AND GRAPHS. THERE WAS NO INDICATION THAT USE OF THE "RED FLASHING" BEACON HAD ANY GREAT EFFECT ON DRIVER BEHAVIOUR AT STOP SIGNS. HOWEVER, THE PRESENT SURVEY RESULTS WERE INCONCLUSIVE AND FURTHER STUDY IS RECOMMENDED TO CONFIRM THAT THE RED FLASHER REDUCES ACCIDENTS AT NIGHT. THE SURVEY RESULTS ARE: (1) AT "T" INTERSECTIONS THE NUMBER OF DRIVER VIOLATIONS WAS HIGHER THAN AT CROSS INTERSECTIONS, (2) DRIVERS MAKING A RIGHT TURN AT INTERSECTIONS WERE PREDOMINANT IN VIOLATIONS COMMITTED, (3) FAMILIARITY WITH INTERSECTIONS HAD LITTLE INFLUENCE ON THE ACTION OF DRIVERS, AND (4) APPROACH SPEED HAD NO EFFECT ON VEHICLE STOPPING OR VIOLATING AT INTER- SECTIONS. /SRIS/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • 82 Pp, 22 FIG, 8 TAB
• Corporate Authors:

  Ontario Department of Highways

  1201 Wilson Avenue
  Toronto, Ontario M3M 1J8,   Canada 
• Publication Date: 1969

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Approach; Behavior; Drivers; Flashing traffic signals; Intersections; Prevention; Reaction time; Red interval (Traffic signal cycle); Right turns; Safety; Sight distance; Speed; Stop signs; T intersections
• Uncontrolled Terms: Driver reaction; Violations
• Old TRIS Terms: Approach speed; Flashing red
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors; Security and Emergencies;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00225496
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Nat Safety Council Safety Res Info Serv
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Feb 9 1970 12:00AM