What if the traffic lights are canceled, what will happen?

On August 22, a strange hot search appeared on Weibo: the existing red and green light countdown will be abolished, and it is replaced by a complex "2022 new national standard red and green light standard system".

Driver watching "2022 New Standard Red and Green Light Standard System" be like

This oolong news was quickly rumored. The complex traffic light icon was actually a type of supplementing traffic lights in the "new national standard" in 2016. The common traffic lights have not been abolished and the traffic lights are not canceled, because there is no About about about the about it. Regulations for traffic lights.

What was accidentally hit was that this oolong triggered a wide range of discussions: Is there a good time for signal lights, or is it not good?

In the comment area of ​​the "New National Standard" news, most people say that the traffic lights are good for a second, but it is inconvenient to cancel. A study in my country in 2017 also showed that about 80 % of the 1051 drivers supported the adding countdown to the signal lights. They believed that the countdown signal could not only help them make behavioral decisions, but also improve operational efficiency and ensure traffic safety [1].

But the facts are really as the drivers think, can the countdown signal really ensure driving safety?

Too long, don't read the version

Red light countdown is good for traffic, but the effect of the countdown countdown is controversial

Many people's driving style is dangerous, and the countdown of green lights will enlarge this danger.

The effect of pedestrian signal lights is also controversial. In particular, you need to pay attention to the education of the child's signal lights.

Driving traffic light countdown

Is the road safer and smooth?

This problem must be separated from the countdown to the green light countdown. The influence of the two on the driver is different.

Most studies support the beneficial road safety of red light downfall: it can provide more accurate information for the driver's decision -making, which can not only alleviate the driver's anxious waiting psychology, but also allow them to start at the right time, improve driving, and improve driving. Efficiency [2,3].

But is the countdown countdown to make the road more secure or more secure? The evidence given by different studies is not consistent:

Researchers at Nanyang University of Science and Technology at the intersection of Singapore collected data from the driver to run through the red light before and after the installation of green lights with a sensor. It was found that 1.5 months after the countdown of the green light was installed. Time move slowly disappear. After 7.5 months of installation, the proportion of drivers' red lights returned to the original level [4].

Researchers in Taiwan in my country use the camera data at the intersection and find that the countdown countdown can reduce the rate of running through the red light, but it increases the possibility of the vehicle rear -end. One of the reasons is that the countdown countdown will cause the stop decision of different drivers on the same road on the same road. Inconsistent [5].

At the intersection without green lights, the driver's shutdown decision is based on the yellow light light. At this time, the decision -making is the same, but there is a green light countdown intersection. In seconds.

When the green light is left for 2 seconds, most drivers will try to accelerate to pass through the intersection. When the green light remains for 1 second, most drivers will slow down and stop in front of the line. The speed is not continuous, the speed difference is generated, and it is easy to rear -end [6].

In addition, the role of green light countdown will also change with traffic flow, driver driving style, peripheral environment, light conditions, etc.

In short, the controversy of the countdown of the red light is far less than the countdown of the green light, and the benefits are more. Therefore, you can rest assured that the red light is down, and the countdown countdown needs to be considered according to the actual situation of the road.

The countdown to the green light makes the radical driver more aggressive

Most people's behavioral patterns at the intersection are not safe, and the countdown of green lights may magnify relevant risks.

When the signal intersection, when the driver is about to end the green light signal and the yellow lamp signal is on, it is often a hesitation situation where you choose to choose a parking or pass. This area is Dilemma Zone.

The dilemma is the red arrow in the picture, "Over, but this is a problem." | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

Picture source: Xu Yaoci "Road Side Safety Design"

Researchers divide them into three types based on the driver's choice and driving speed: Conservation, standard type, and aggressive.

Conservative drivers will choose to stop the vehicle when they obviously have the opportunity to cross the intersection; standard drivers will neither running through the red light nor will it stop when there is plenty of time; The risk is greatly increased.

A study in Greece showed that nearly 50%of the radical drivers that "grabbing green lights" exceeded the speed limit, and 55%of the radical drivers exceeding the stop -stop parking, that is, half of the drivers are radical drivers, of which men The possibility of the driver's cross -line is nearly 14 times that of female drivers [7].

Compared with the other two driving styles, radical driving is obviously easy to cause more accident incidence and higher accident mortality.

The countdown countdown will make the radical driver more radical: Researchers have found that the countdown will lead to more sudden acceleration and braking through driving simulation experiments in combination with actual observations. And running mode, more accidents [8].

I hope that everyone is still rational at the intersection. Don't think about being "autumn famous mountain car god". Pedestrian traffic light countdown signal

Will the accident rate increase?

Some intersections will not only have a countdown, but also show the countdown of pedestrian traffic lights. However, the current research conclusions are not consistent, and it cannot be determined its impact on road security.

A study of Bosnia and Herzegovina is based on video records. It collects and compares the data before and after the countdown countdown. It is found that no matter how much the traffic is, the countdown has significantly reduced the total number of violations [9], and another study from the United States. After displaying the countdown of the installation pedestrian, the pedestrian-motor vehicle collision reduced by 9%[10].

German psychologist Karl Peglau designed by pedestrian traffic lights -AMPELMANN, which has become an important cultural symbol of Berlin

There are also many evidence on the opposite side. Studies have shown that pedestrian countdown signals will prompt more pedestrians to cross the road during the red light, thereby increasing the risk of crossing the road. Data from Toronto from 2000 to 2009 show that after the intersection installation of pedestrians, the pedestrian-motor vehicle collision instead instead. Increased by 26%[11].

It is particularly worthwhile to be alert to the children's reaction to pedestrian traffic lights.

In 2016, a study from Shandong University pointed out by analyzing the video data at the crossroads of a elementary school that in the last few seconds of the countdown of pedestrian red lights, the violations of children snatched in Children show more illegal adventure [12].

In terms of crossing the road, we must pay attention to children's behavior, teach them the importance of the red and green light signals, do not snatch, and the guardian should try to let the child travel with as much as possible.

How to set the traffic light,

In order to make the driving experience better?

In addition to the countdown, there is still a lot of imaginative space:

For example, after the speed of the specified section, adjust the traffic at the beginning of each intersection according to the distance of the road section to ensure that the traffic flow can encounter green lights at each next intersection and achieve the "green wave belt".

When the red and green light system can also be canceled, when the fixed matching, it is changed to the adaptive matching of the comprehensive application sensor and the algorithm, or according to the past year traffic information, the traffic flow of the intersection is predicted, and then the intelligent matching [13].

It can also improve the existing matching scheme to avoid the waiting time for the red light, the green light pass is too short, and maintain a reasonable green letter ratio as much as possible.

In order to make travel transportation more secure and comfortable, just a traffic light, there are still many spaces that can optimize.

Of course, no matter how good the red and green lights are designed, the driver and pedestrian need to comply with the signal it emits. It is hoped that the future cities will be better and better, the roads can be safer and less blocked.

references

[1] PAN, F., ZHANG, L., MA, C., Li, H., Yang, J., LIU, T., ... CHAI, S. (2017). Impact of Vehicular Countdown Signals on Driving Psychology And Behaviors: Taking China as an Example. Journal of Advanced Transportation, 2017, 5838520.

[2] Dong Yunpeng. Study on the impact mechanism of psychological and behavioral counting signals on traffic safety. DISS. Qingdao University of Technology, 2015.

[3] Zhang Jianhua, Chang, C. H., Qiu Yujun, Chiou, Y. C. C.. (2007).

[4]K. M. Lum and H. Halim, “A before-and-after study on green signal countdown device installation,” Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 29–41, 2006.

[5]Y.-C. Chiou and C.-H. Chang, “Driver responses to green and red vehicular signal countdown displays: safety and efficiency aspects,” Accident Analysis and Prevention, vol. 42, no. 4, pp. 1057–1065, 2010.

[6] Zhang Jianhua (2008). Analysis of the driving behavior of the driving of the car number of the car. Master's thesis of the Institute of Transportation of National Transportation University, Hsinchu City.

[7]Papaioannou, P. (2007). Driver behaviour, dilemma zone and safety effects at urban signalised intersections in Greece. Accident Analysis Prevention, 39(1), 147–158.[8]Wei Yan, S.C. Wong, Becky P.Y. Loo, Connor Y.H. Wu, Helai Huang, Xin Pei, Fanyu Meng, An assessment of the effect of green signal countdown timers on drivers' behavior and on road safety at intersections, based on driving simulator experiments and naturalistic observation studies, Journal of Safety Research , 2022

[9]Lipovac, K., Vujanic, M., Maric, B., Nesic, M. (2013). The influence of a pedestrian countdown display on pedestrian behavior at signalized pedestrian crossings. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour , 20, 121–134.

[10] Srinivasan, R., LAN, B., Carter, D., SMITH, S., Persaud, B., Signor, K., et al. (2022). Safety Evaluation of PEDESTRIANTDOWN SIGNALS: Definitive Results from Two Cities in the United States :. Transportation Research Record, 2676 (4), 626-636.

[11] Richmond, S. A., Willan, A. R., Rothman, L., Camden, A., Buliung, R., Macarthur, C., Howard, A. (2013). The Impact of Pedestdown Signals On Pedrian-Motor Vehic Collisions: A Reanalysis from a Quasi-EXPERIMENTAL Study. Injury Prevention, 20 (3), 155–158.

[12] Fu, L., ZOU, N. (2016). The influence of pedestrian countdown signals on children ’s crosses behavior at both.

[13]Ahmad Yousef, K. M., Shatnawi, A., Latayfeh, M. (2019). Intelligent traffic light scheduling technique using calendar-based history information. Future Generation Computer Systems, 91, 124–135.

Author: Black General

Edit: Emeria, You Zhixuan

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