Factors associated with red-light running among motorcyclists at signalised junctions in Malaysia

Abstract

Red-light running (RLR) among motorcyclists at signalised junctions (SJ) in Malaysia are common. This study investigates factors associated with RLR among motorcyclists at signalised junctions. The observation was conducted in 2016–2017, at 26 signalised junctions nationwide, and was analysed using the mixed-effect logistic regression. Out of the 53,475 observed vehicles, only 3.6% run the red light (by which 99% are motorcycles), and from the 19,232 observed motorcycles, 26.2% among motorcyclists run the red light while 54.1% of them, run the red-light without stopping. Factors associated with a high probability of RLR are male riders who do not wear a helmet, who approach the SJ via lane split, who cross SJ via turning, SJ with no traffic island, and SJ with the presence of vehicles waiting on one or both legs. The random parameters show that the majority (83%) of variation in the outcomes occurs among the riders (at Level 1), which suggest that motorcyclists’ characteristics and riding behaviour are still the main factors in affecting the RLR occurrences and require more in-depth study. While 1.5% of variation occurs among the type of motorcycle by region (at Level 2), it also shows that RLR occurs regardless. Other variations are from the range of median width (3.9% at Level 3) and the speed limit range along major roads (9.5% at Level 4). To reduce RLR among motorcyclists, we are recommending that SJ be equipped with traffic islands, and replace the overhead signal pole with pedestal pole.