Summary of Findings:
During my one-hour observation at the intersection of Main Street and Elm Avenue during rush hour, I witnessed a total of 15 traffic law violations. The most common violations were running red lights, making illegal U-turns, and failure to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks. The drivers who tended to break the laws were a mix of younger drivers in their teens and early 20s and older drivers who appeared to be in a rush.
I witnessed a total of three near-accidents during my observation period. Two of these near-accidents were caused by drivers not yielding when merging into lanes, and one was caused by a driver running a red light.
1) I chose the intersection of Main Street and Elm Avenue for my observations because it is known to be a busy intersection with a high amount of traffic during rush hour, making it likely to observe a variety of traffic violations.
2) From my observations, it appeared that younger drivers tended to drive more recklessly and break traffic laws more frequently than older drivers. However, there were also some older drivers who displayed aggressive driving behavior.
3) One aspect about the intersection that made for difficult driving was the lack of clear lane markings, leading to confusion among drivers about which lane to be in. This contributed to some of the observed violations.
4) The strangest thing I witnessed during my observation was a driver attempting to parallel park in a space that was clearly too small for their vehicle. After several failed attempts, they eventually gave up and parked illegally in a no parking zone.
5) Ways in which the intersection could be improved include clearer lane markings, better signage indicating prohibited maneuvers, and stricter enforcement of traffic laws by law enforcement. Additionally, implementing traffic calming measures such as speed bumps or roundabouts could help reduce the likelihood of accidents and traffic violations at the intersection.
Watch the vehicles near a busy roadway where you can safely observe traffic. Notice the number of drivers who pay little or no attention to traffic laws. Report on the findings of your study. What laws were broken? Who tended to break the laws? How many near-accidents did you witness?
Try to observe for at least an hour. You may want to choose a heavy-traffic time such as rush hour to get the best results. You might consider using a tally chart for specific things you observe in order to help you with your report.
Questions
When completing this assignment, you may want to consider the following questions in your responses:
1) Why did you choose the particular intersection where you made your observations?
2) Are there particular age groups that drive better or worse than others?
3) Are there certain aspects about that intersection that make for difficult driving?
4) What was the strangest thing you witnessed during your observation?
5) Are there ways that the intersection could be improved?
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