Intersections Safety and Speed Compliance

Abstract

Intersections are considered to be high-risk areas due to noncompliance with traffic rules. Failure to yield right of way and running red lights are major issues, but improper turning manoeuvres, like illegal U-turns and improper signalling, are also contributor factors to accidents. Vulnerable road users are particularly at risk at these locations, as these violations may result in severe injuries and congestion. The EU has set ambitious road safety goals in order to reduce the number of killed and injured in road crashes and has recognized the importance of using key performance indicators (KPIs) for assessing road safety performance as a support of road safety policies implementation. In this line of view, the EU promoted several initiatives, where the Baseline and the Trendline projects stand out. The Trendline project introduces several innovative KPIs, including redlight violations at intersections. The gathering of these KPI, using consistent criteria, is a novel effort across multiple European countries. Portugal's prevalent speeding is-sue emphasizes the significance of this endeavour, especially for the country. This paper focuses on the preliminary analysis of intersection compliance, analysing factors like traffic signals, yielding right of way, pedestrian safety, and infrastructure design, whose analysis is crucial for improving road safety.