ONE of the major reasons contributing to road crashes is violating traffic rules such as over speeding and beating traffic lights.
Road traffic lights are placed on the roadway to guide, warn and regulate the flow of traffic, which includes motor vehicles, motorcycles, tricycles, pedestrians and other road users. The three colours of the traffic light are red, yellow and green.
Red means ‘stop’: A right turn can be made against a red light only after you stop and yield to pedestrians and vehicles in your path. Red arrow means stop until the green signal or green arrow appears. A turn may not be made against a red arrow.
Yellow means ‘get ready.’ A yellow signal light warns you that the red signal is about to appear. When you see the yellow light, you should stop, if you can do so safely, look out for vehicles that may enter the intersection when the light changes. Flashing yellow signal light warns you to be careful. Slow down and be especially alert. Yellow arrow is about to appear. Stop if you are not already in the intersection.
Green means ‘go’, but you must first let any vehicles, bicycles, or pedestrians remaining in the intersection get through before you move ahead. You can turn left only if you have enough space to complete the turn before any oncoming vehicle, bicycle, or pedestrian becomes a hazard.
Vehicles turning left must always yield to those going straight from the opposite direction. Do not enter an intersection, even when the light is green, unless there is enough space to cross completely before the light turns red.
There is a need to study traffic light violations since they are important. I suggest that the local authorities should reduce traffic light violations, which in turn, causes road crashes and injuries. They should firstly install traffic lights with a countdown timer.
Next is to install camera surveillance capable of detecting traffic light violators at major intersections initially and gradually extend them to all types of intersections. This helps increase the probability of being detected for traffic light violations and acts as a deterrent for violators, most especially the Keke Napep riders. These two suggestions are expected to reduce traffic light violations.
Increase in traffic congestion is one of the reasons for major traffic violation. Commuters and keke Napep riders tend to violate traffic rules when there is traffic congestion. As demand approaches, the capacity of a road (or of the intersections, along the road) extreme traffic congestion sets in. When vehicles are fully stopped for periods of time, this is colloquially known as a traffic jam. In my opinion, malfunctioning of light signals cause too much stop-and-go traffic, which frustrates drivers, waste gas and increases air pollution. Traffic congestion can lead to drivers becoming frustrated and engaging in road rage.
To bypass physical and emotional stress of traffic jams, impatient commuters tend to look for means of boycotting the traffic congestion to an extent of violating the laid down traffic laws. Violating these laws has led to many unprecedented accidents, loss of valuable property and lives.
The number of accidents on the roads are due to the rule violations such as breaking traffic, over speeding, disregarding signals and driving on wrong sides. To avoid violations, traffic police have to be present on roads to bring violators to book.
