The state government has announced the expansion of a road-safety system designed to reduce collisions at traffic-light intersections.
The Hold the Red system uses radar to detect a vehicle about to run a red light.
If the system determines the vehicle will drive through, a two-second delay is implemented at adjacent lights to prevent other motorists or pedestrians from entering the intersection.
Vehicles can be detected within 150 metres of the stop line.
Hold the Red will be installed at 15 locations across Queensland.
A spokesperson for the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) said the location of the radars would not be revealed.
They said all drivers should remain alert.
In 2018, TMR installed Hold the Red systems at four different intersections in south-east Queensland to determine the technology’s effectiveness.
An evaluation of the Hold the Red trial by the Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety Queensland (CARRS-Q) found the Hold the Red system could reduce red-light-related crashes by 33.47 per cent.
The evaluation also found the system had minimal impact on traffic delays at intersections, with a maximum delay of 10 seconds per weekday and 8.5 seconds per weekend.
Minister for TMR, Mark Bailey, said the Hold the Red system drastically improved road safety.
“Following the trial’s success, we’re rolling out this life-saving technology to an additional 15 signalised intersections across the state,” Mr Bailey said.
“We’ve selected locations where there’s a history of red-light running behaviour and expect to have the ‘Hold the Red’ technology installed by mid-2024.
“The expansion is a key feature of the Queensland Road Safety Action Plan 2022-24 and will further assist as we work towards achieving our Queensland Road Safety Strategy 2022-31 targets of reducing fatalities by 50% and serious injuries by 30% by 2031.”
Almost 8000 people are injured on Queensland roads every year.
Last year, 297 people died on Queensland roads.
So far this year, over 80 people have died.
