Maaleht conducted an experiment in Tartu. They observed 129 drivers in front of the Tasku shopping center over one hour who entered the intersection on a yellow light. Professor Dago Antov from Tallinn University of Technology said this doesn't surprise him. The Tartu city center is one of the busiest traffic areas. The problem is acute, but the number of violations has not significantly increased recently.
Antov explained that driving into the intersection on a yellow light stems from people's time management. People want to save their time. On average, a one-minute wait occurs if someone doesn't manage to pass through at the last moment of the traffic light.
The yellow light is not an extension of the green light. It is prohibitive, like the red light. The yellow light warns that the next light will come immediately. Antov mentioned that the first traffic lights had only red and green lights. Later, the yellow light was added. The purpose of the yellow light is to provide a transition between red and green lights.
In Estonia, a flashing green light is used, which dates back to the Soviet era. Longer flashing of the green light encourages violations. If the green light flashes for too long, drivers tend to rush more because they don't know when the green light will end.
Entering the intersection on a yellow light creates traffic jams during peak hours. Antov recommends staying calm and not rushing through the intersection at the last moment. Blocking the intersection obstructs other road users and stops the traffic light cycle.
Many drivers think that longer traffic light cycles solve the problem of traffic jams, but mathematics does not support this. Too long traffic light cycles make waiting times very long. Very short traffic light cycles force drivers to rush more.
Estonia's streets already use adaptive traffic light control. It counts the waiting vehicles and those passing through. If there are no waiting vehicles, the traffic light cycle can end earlier. This helps manage traffic better.
In the future, drones may be used to calm traffic and catch violators. Drones can monitor traffic and control behavior. Antov considers this a good idea, but there is no exact solution yet.