Amy Freedman, wtop.com
WASHINGTON – Chances are, you’ve approached an intersection where the signal has just turned yellow and thought, “Should I stop or should I go?”
If you’ve been in that position, then you’ve been in a place that researchers at Oregon State University call “The Twilight Zone of traffic,” or, for the more technical term, the “Dilemma Zone.”
Sometimes, it’s obvious that you are close enough or far enough from the light to make an easy decision, but other times it’s not quite clear…should you speed up or slam on the brakes?
Is it possible that research can help implement changes in intersections that would make that decision easier and safer?
There are more than 30,000 traffic fatalities each year, as many as 2,000 of which take place at stoplight intersections. Several factors contribute to these incidents, and certainly skill and perception of each individual driver is not something that can be regulated.
However, these studies have determined that uniformity of laws from state to state, timing of lights and even, yes, the dreaded red light cameras can help lessen the “dilemma” factor for drivers.
When the knowledge gained through this study can be implemented from state to state, then perhaps we will no longer visit the “Twilight Zone” and make quicker and safer decisions at intersections.
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