Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Red Light Running

  • Living reference work entry
  • Latest version View entry history
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Law and Economics

  • 35 Accesses

Synonyms

Traffic light violation

Definition

Red light running is a violation of Highway Code that endangers the offender as well as other road users. The consequences of crash risk induced by this reckless behavior impact the social cost related to the road collision and call for intervention. Several tools are available for policy makers to enforce traffic light obedience. However, the cost of public intervention must be in line with the social cost of violations. Although there is a sizable literature dealing with red light running, researchers generally focus on the predictors of such behavior and the impact of the countermeasures. This entry presents a literature overview from an economic perspective and proposes an economic analysis of red-light violations and their regulation.

Introduction

Red light running (RLR) occurs when a vehicle enters an intersection and the signal is red. RLR is a violation of traffic rules that endangers the offender as well as other road users. The...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Avineri E (2014) Nudging safer road behaviours, Technical report, Afeka Center for Infrastructure, Transportation and Logistics

    Google Scholar 

  • Beanland V, Salmon PM, Filtness AJ, Lenné MG, Stanton NA (2017) To stop or not to stop: contrasting compliant and non-compliant driver behaviour at rural rail level crossings. Accid Anal Prev 108:209–219

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Becker G (1968) Crime and punishment: an economic approach. J Polit Econ 78:168–217

    Google Scholar 

  • Carnis L (2010) A neo-institutional economic approach to automated speed enforcement systems. Eur Transp Res Rev 2(1):1–12

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carnis L, Kemel E (2012) Assessing the role of context in traffic light violations. Econ Bull 32(4):3386–3393

    Google Scholar 

  • Carnis L, Kemel E (2012) Should I stay or should I go?. ETC Proceedings European Transport Conference, Conference Proceedings, Glasgow United Kingdom, 10–12 October 2012, mimeo

    Google Scholar 

  • Council F, Persaud B, Lyon C, Eccles K, Griffith M, Zaloshnja E, Miller T (2005) Safety evaluation of red-light cameras, US Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, FHWA-HRT-05-048, 95 p

    Google Scholar 

  • CSA (2002), Red light camera programs: although they have contributed to a reduction in accidents, operational weaknesses exist at the local level, Technical report, Bureau of State Audit

    Google Scholar 

  • Depken C, Sonora R (2009) Inadvertent red light violations: An economic analysis? Mimeo, 33 p. Working paper. Department of Economics, University of Texas at Arlington

    Google Scholar 

  • Elmitiny N, Yan X, Radwan E, Russo C, Nashar D (2010) Classification analysis of driver’s stop/go decision and red-light running violation. Accid Anal Prev 42(1):101–111

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Erke A (2009) Red light for red-light cameras? A meta-analysis of the effects of red-light cameras on crashes. Accid Anal Prev 41(5):897–905

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fehr E, Schmidt K (2006) The economics of fairness, reciprocity and altruism–experimental evidence and new theories. In: Handbook of the economics of giving, altruism and reciprocity, vol 1. Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp 615–691

    Google Scholar 

  • Garrett TA, Wagner GA (2009) Red ink in the rearview mirror: local fiscal conditions and the issuance of traffic tickets. J Law Econ 52(1):71–90

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Høye A (2013) Still red light for red light cameras? An update. Accid Anal Prev 55:77–89

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hummel D (2015) Traffic tickets: public safety concerns or budget building tools. Adm Soc 47(3):298–319

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Konceni Vladimir J, Ebbesen Ebbe B, Konceni Daiva K (1976) Decision process and risk taking in traffic: driver response to the onset of yellow light. J Appl Psychol 61(3):359–367

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Langland-Orban B, Pracht EE, Large JT, Zhang N, Tepas JT (2016) Explaining differences in crash and injury crash outcomes in red light camera studies. Eval Health Prof 39(2):1–19

    Google Scholar 

  • Lund AK, Kyrychenko SY, Retting RA (2009) Caution: a comment on Alena Erke’s red light for red-light cameras? A meta-analysis of the effects of red-light cameras on crashes. Accid Anal Prev 41(4):895–896

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McGee H, Eccles K (2003) Impact of red light camera enforcement on crash experience, a synthesis of highway practice, Technical report, NCHRP synthesis

    Google Scholar 

  • Porter BE, England KJ (2000) Predicting red-light running behavior: a traffic safety study in three urban settings. J Saf Res 31(1):1–8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Retting RA, Williams AF, Greene MA (1998) Red-light running and sensible countermeasures: summary of research findings. Transp Res Rec J Transp Res Board 1640(1):23–26

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Retting RA, Ulmer RG, Williams AF (1999) Prevalence and characteristics of red light running crashes in the united states. Accid Anal Prev 31(6):687–694

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Retting RA, Ferguson SA, Farmer CM (2008) Reducing red light running through longer yellow signal timing and red light camera enforcement: results of a field investigation. Accid Anal Prev 40(1):327–333

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schrock Steven D, Udaipurwala Mazhrali T, Fitzsimmons Eric J (2016) Evaluation of intersection confirmation lights with targeted enforcement to reduce red light running violations at freeway ramp intersections. Transp Res Rec 2584:1–7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Slone S (2014) Speed and red light cameras law, Technical report, Capitol Research, The Council of State Governments

    Google Scholar 

  • Thaler RH, Sunstein CR (2008) Nudge: improving decisions about health, wealth, and happiness. Yale University Press, New Haven

    Google Scholar 

  • Travis M, Baxandall P (2011) Caution: red light camera ahead the risks of privatizing traffic law enforcement and how to protect the public, Technical report, US PIRG Education Fund

    Google Scholar 

  • Vanlaar W, Robertson R, Marcoux K (2014) An evaluation of Winnipeg’s photo enforcement safety program: results of time series analyses and an intersection camera experiment. Accid Anal Prev 62:238–247

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wahl Georgia M, Tareq I, Marr Alan B, Hunt John P, McSwain Norman E, Baker Christopher C, Juan D (2010) Red light cameras: do they change driver behavior and reduce accidents? J Trauma Inj Infect Crit Care 68(3):515–518

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang CYD, Najm WG (2007) Examining driver behavior using data gathered from red light photo enforcement cameras. J Saf Res 38:311–321

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Université Gustave Eiffel (DEST/AME), Boulevard Newton, Champs-sur-Marne, France

    Laurent Carnis

Authors
  1. Laurent Carnis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Laurent Carnis .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Montpellier, France

    Alain Marciano

  2. Dept DiGSPES, Univ del Piemonte Orientale Dept DiGSPES, Alessandria, Italy

    Giovanni Battista Ramello

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Carnis, L. (2020). Red Light Running. In: Marciano, A., Ramello, G. (eds) Encyclopedia of Law and Economics. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7883-6_588-2

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7883-6_588-2

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-7883-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-7883-6

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Economics and FinanceReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Chapter history

  1. Latest

    Red Light Running
    Published:
    22 July 2020

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7883-6_588-2

  2. Original

    Traffic Lights Violations
    Published:
    04 November 2014

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7883-6_588-1

Search

Navigation