Program Contact

Jeffrey Shaw
jeffrey.shaw@dot.gov

Intersection Safety

About Intersection Safety

Safe System Intersections

Intersection Control Evaluation

Corridor Access Management

Stop–Controlled Intersections

Signalized Intersections

Roundabouts

Reduced Left–Turn Conflict
Intersections

Crossover Intersections

Other Intersection Designs

In The News

Resources

Contacts

Signalized Intersections

With approximately one–third of all intersection fatalities occurring at signalized intersections, it is important to assess and design these intersections with safety in mind.

Traffic signals are often chosen for operational reasons, and in some cases may represent a trade–off between safety and mobility. Some proven countermeasures that can reduce crashes at signalized intersections include:

Backplates with retroflective borders
Leading pedestrian interval
Yellow change intervals

On this web page, learn about these and other signalized intersection safety strategies.

Outreach and Education Resources

If You Run a Red Light ... brochure
Proven Safety Countermeasure: Backplates with Retroreflective
Borders
Proven Safety Countermeasure: Leading Pedestrian Interval
Proven Safety Countermeasure: Yellow Change Intervals
Intersection Safety Implementation Plans – Blueprints for
Improving Intersection Safety
Case Studies – Improving Safety through Intersection Safety
Implementation Plan
- Pennsylvania
- South Carolina
South Carolina Case Study: Systematic Intersection
Improvements

Technical Materials and Research

Connections to Other Transportation Safety Topics

The systemic approach to safety involves widely implemented improvements based on high–risk roadway features correlated with specific severe crash types; the approach helps agencies broaden their traffic safety efforts at little extra cost
Instead of a traffic signal, consider a roundabout
A corridor access management plan can improve signalized intersection safety
FHWA Office of Operations provides information on traffic signal management
Pavement friction plays an important role in road safety performance, including at intersections
The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways provides the national standards for all traffic control devices, including pavement markings, signs, and traffic signals

Source:FHWA

Top Resources

Automated Enforcement

IMPORTANT NOTE: The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) does not own or operate automated enforcement systems, which include red–light cameras. Automated enforcement systems are not considered a traffic control device, so they are not governed by the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices.

State–specific survey information about automated enforcement systems collected by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) can be found on NHTSA's web page.

Additional questions, including those about tickets/citations, should be directed to the local (or State) police, traffic engineering department, or public works department.

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Image sources: About Intersection Safety: MoDOT, FLKR, licensed under CC BY 2.0.; Safe System Intersections: deberarr, iStock/Getty Images Plus; Intersection Control Evaluation: CreativeNature_nl, and smolaw11, iStock/Getty Images Plus; Stop–Controlled Intersections: James Andrews, iStock/Getty Images; Corridor Access Management: FHWA; Roundabouts: FHWA; Crossover Intersections: FHWA; Reduced Left–Turn Conflict Intersections: FHWA; Signalized Intersections: FHWA; Other Intersection Designs: NCDOT

Page last modified on March 12, 2021