The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) has been replacing flashing signs with radar-based detection systems for a decade, and they are seeing results.
The results show improved road safety according to a 2024 study by ODOT. The study monitored crashes at one intersection in Clermont County where the technology was implemented in 2022. ODOT found that crashes fell from 23 to 14 after the radar was installed.
In that same period, the number of crashes that involved an injury fell from 11 to five, according to ODOT.
The new systems monitor vehicles from up to 900 feet away. It detects their speed and distance. They also look for breaks in traffic to determine the safest time to change the signal from green to yellow to red.
The new technology reduces the likelihood of high-speed, severe crashes that can occur when drivers speed to beat the light, according to ODOT’s news release.
Intersections that have the new system have seen:
- 35% fewer serious crashes.
- 50% fewer red-light running crashes.
- 50% fewer rear-end crashes with injuries.
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Source: Cleveland.com, The Advocate
