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White light added to traffic lights

AlligatorOnline-April 10th 2006 

Gainesville drivers can now see lights in four colors at major intersections in Gainesville and other cities in Florida: green, yellow, red and white.

The white light, also known as the confirmation light, allows police officials to see when drivers are running red lights without actually seeing the light turn red, said Holly Walker, District 2 safety engineer with the Florida Department of Transportation.

Police officials are able to tell if a driver runs a red light from any direction and position on the road, allowing easier access and maneuvering when pulling over traffic violators, Walker said.

“The benefit of the tool is safety and efficiency,” Walker said. “It allows officers to handle this in a safe way, and they don’t have to run red lights in order to catch someone.”

The light, placed either on top of or below the traffic light box, is wired into the same electrical circuit as the red light, Walker said. Once the light changes to red, the white light turns on.

In Florida, the lights were first installed in Clearwater in 2001, Walker said. They are now used in various locations in six of the seven Florida public districts, including five busy Gainesville intersections.

Many crashes are directly related to running red lights, and the white lights are a tool to assist and direct the police department, said Phillip Mann, supervising engineer for traffic operations for the city of Gainesville.

“One of the most common misconceptions is the police department can write more citations,” Mann said. Instead, the goal is to improve highway safety and reduce injuries, he said.

Florida DOT reports show that 33 percent of cases involving running a red light include a fatality, said acting Lt. Keith Faulk, spokesman for the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office.

“If we save one life - if we stop one accident from occurring - then it’s worth it,” Faulk said.

The DOT has also seen a 15 percent increase in traffic crashes because of red light running in the last five years, Faulk said.

“Everyone nowadays needs to get there quickly and doesn’t realize the dangers of getting out there,” Faulk said about being in the middle of an intersection after a light has changed. “They think, ‘I can make it through there.’”

A two-second delay usually follows after one light turns red and the other light turns green, but there are still horrific crashes, Faulk said.

The number of traffic violations given for running red lights is second only to speeding tickets.

Drivers of larger vehicles usually anticipate the need for a longer area to slow down, and the majority of vehicles that run red lights are cars, said Sgt. Anthony Ferrara, one of the two traffic safety team supervisors in the Gainesville Police Department..

The Traffic Safety Team writes between 250 to 500 citations per month for red light running, Ferrara said. Violators can expect a ticket for $186.50 and four points on their drivers records if convicted of the violation.

The confirmation lights no longer require officers to see the red light and give them the advantage, Ferrara said.

The lights are installed at West University Avenue and 13th Street, West University Avenue and 34th Street, West University Avenue and Sixth Street, Archer Road and Southwest 34th Street and Newberry Road and 69th Terrace, Mann said.

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