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I disagree that longer yellows will mean less accidents. I've always held a fascination with behavioural psychology and I spend a great deal of time observing p

I disagree that longer yellows will mean less accidents. I've always held a fascination with behavioural psychology and I spend a great deal of time observing people's behaviour and it's my hypothesis, which I feel will bear out in time, that people will get used to longer yellows and begin to think... "I've got plenty of time to get through that without stopping" so they'll just keep going and people will still run reds and still cause accidents... They'd do better to change it for a countdown just like they do with the crosswalk sign that counts down from 15 seconds or something before going to a solid amber for a couple of seconds before going red. They'd also do well to have some kind of markers on the road indicating a safe distance from the traffic lights to come to a stop in an average family car (whatever that means) in current weather conditions.

scarejunba 7y ago
Is the posterior you hold on your hypothesis different from your prior after being presented with https://sci-hub.se/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2007.06.011 https://sci-hub.se/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2007.06.011 ?
- balabaster 7y ago
  After reading this, I'm certainly inclined to adjust my hypothesis, but not completely. It reduced accidents by 50%. That's awesome. However, behaviour adjusts as we become complacent, and it's in our nature to become complacent with that which we are acclimated to every day. We definitely need some consideration for that factor and we definitely need a design that goes further to ensuring that people aren't tempted to run the lights. The temptation to run them "just this once" because "I'm late" or "I've already sat 3 changes in this line up and I'm pissed off with waiting" or "I'm sure I can beat the red" needs to be removed.
  - cryptonector 7y ago
    You're not wrong, I don't think. But to the extent that red light cameras have led to a vicious shortening of yellows, with consequent increases in collisions, this may put an end to that. And that I celebrate.
    - balabaster 7y ago
      Agreed
neuralRiot 7y ago
Longer offsets between red and the intersecting green work better preventing accidents. In the case of the “engineer” i don’t know exactly the details of the Oregon red light law but in most states i know it counts the moment you cross the stopping line, if the light changes while you’re crossing or turning you still good. The intersecting traffic should not start until it’s safe to do so.

scarejunba 7y ago

Is the posterior you hold on your hypothesis different from your prior after being presented with https://sci-hub.se/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2007.06.011 https://sci-hub.se/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2007.06.011 ?

balabaster 7y ago
After reading this, I'm certainly inclined to adjust my hypothesis, but not completely. It reduced accidents by 50%. That's awesome. However, behaviour adjusts as we become complacent, and it's in our nature to become complacent with that which we are acclimated to every day. We definitely need some consideration for that factor and we definitely need a design that goes further to ensuring that people aren't tempted to run the lights. The temptation to run them "just this once" because "I'm late" or "I've already sat 3 changes in this line up and I'm pissed off with waiting" or "I'm sure I can beat the red" needs to be removed.
- cryptonector 7y ago
  You're not wrong, I don't think. But to the extent that red light cameras have led to a vicious shortening of yellows, with consequent increases in collisions, this may put an end to that. And that I celebrate.
  - balabaster 7y ago
    Agreed

neuralRiot 7y ago

Longer offsets between red and the intersecting green work better preventing accidents. In the case of the “engineer” i don’t know exactly the details of the Oregon red light law but in most states i know it counts the moment you cross the stopping line, if the light changes while you’re crossing or turning you still good. The intersecting traffic should not start until it’s safe to do so.