Citation

Bendak S. Proc. Road Saf. Four Continents Conf. 2010; 15: 819-826.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, Conference Sponsor)

DOI

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PMID

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Abstract

More than 6450 people get killed and more than 36400 get injured due to traffic accidents inSaudi Arabia annually. Many of these are the victims of reckless driving behavior like over-speeding and red-light crossing. Although red-light crossing cause more than 5% of traffic accidents in Saudi Arabia, no study has ever assessed the stopping propensity rate of drivers at red lights across Saudi Arabia. This study aims at determining this propensity so that traffic regulators and traffic police would prepare and execute their plans based on research findings. This current study will try to find out the rate of drivers crossing red lights in Saudi Arabia, if there are any differences between cities and towns across Saudi Arabia in terms of red-light crossing rate and to see if there are differences in red-light crossing occurrences between peak and off-peak times. Twenty four lighted intersections in seven different cities and towns across Saudi Arabia were observed for one hour during peak times and another hour during off-peak times in one direction. The total number of cars passing during each cycle was recorded as well as the number of cars passing red lights. Results showed that an astonishing 5.9% of drivers cross the intersections on red. Results also showed that there were significant differences in red-light crossing rate between the different cities/towns where this study took place. Moreover, results showed that more drivers tend to cross red lights during peak times than off-peak times. Finally, practical suggestions are made as to drop this high red-light crossing rate in order to improve traffic safety.