Prepare to stop! Signs give drivers a heads-up

RIVERTON — Traffic signals can present challenges for Utah motorists, especially when positioned on long, high-speed straightaways such as portions of the Bangerter Highway.

When traveling the posted 60 mph speed limit — and faster in some cases — motorists can have a difficult decision to make when a green light turns yellow. Often, the change catches them by surprise. They must quickly decipher whether they have room to stop or time to safely cross the intersection.

The Utah Department of Transportation is now using technology to remove the guesswork from such driving decisions.

Since June, UDOT has been using so-called "blink-out" signs at three Bangerter Highway intersections to give motorists a heads-up that the traffic signal in front of them is about to turn red — or, because some drivers don't seem to notice, is already red.

The blink-out signs, similar to the variable-message signs now commonplace on the state's freeways, are 4 by 8 feet in size and hang above the Bangerter about 400 feet in front of each signal. About six seconds before the traffic signal turns from green to yellow, the blink-out lights turn on. Flashing lights accompany a brightly lit message that reads: PREPARE TO STOP.

Mack Christensen, traffic engineer for UDOT's region 2, said the six blink-out signs on Bangerter, including one in each direction at the Redwood Road, 2700 West and 13400 South intersections, are doing their job.

"The preliminary information we've gotten back indicates that we've reduced red-light running by about 78 percent," Christensen said.

"(They are locations) where we have had a history of red-light running, more than normal, and we wanted to see what effect (blink-out signs) would have on motorists' behavior."

There have not been many serious accidents at those intersections, Christensen said, but there have been a number of spills. Gravel haulers, in particular, seem to have difficulty stopping at red lights that sneak up on them. A number of times, gravel trucks have lost their loads while trying to stop at Bangerter traffic lights.

The new blink-out signs are similar to ones used in Sardine Canyon, but those do not include a lighted message, just the flashing lights and a non-illuminated sign.