Alarming red light violations: E-scooter drivers in large cities in focus!

Alarming red light violations: E-scooter drivers in large cities in focus!

A current survey of the ADAC on red light violations in five German cities shows alarming results. According to the investigation, which observed over 66,000 road users, a total of 2,833 violations of the red light were found, which corresponds to about 4% of the total observations. E-scooter drivers are particularly striking, 14% of whom ignored the red traffic lights. This survey was carried out on a weekday in October 2024 and is carried out by means of a AI-based camera system, which anonymously counted the road users and recorded both simple and qualified violations, reports radioenneperuhr.de .

The analysis was carried out in the cities of Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne, Leipzig and Munich. It shows that pedestrians and cyclists in particular do not easily adhere to the traffic rules. Of the 16,827 observed pedestrians, 8.5% violated the red light, while 9,520 cyclists caused around 8% of red light violations. Motor vehicle drivers, on the other hand, were the least noticeable with only 1.6% of the violations.

Details of the examination and violations

The ADAC indicates that red light violations tend to rise both for longer red phases and in low traffic. Around 33% of the violations found were qualified red light violations, which show a traffic light for more than a second. The study also emphasizes that e-scooter drivers are particularly striking, especially when waiting for a long time at red traffic lights. 90% of the 15% e-scooter violations found occurred under these conditions, such as adac.de added.

The financial consequences for the violations would be enormous. If all of the violations recorded were punished, a sum of around 158,000 euros in fines could be incurred, in addition to 164 one -month driving bans. For example, fines of 90 euros would be due in the event of a simple red light violation (motor vehicle), while with a qualified violation of up to 200 euros and two points in the driving suitability register could threaten.

special features in Cologne

The situation in Cologne is particularly worrying: 449 red light violations at four different crossings were recorded in a specific ADAC study within just four hours. This leads to theoretical fines of almost 25,000 euros. Out of 2,884 counters counted, 8.3% disregarded the red light, which led to an increase in traffic accidents in the city. In 2023 there were 320 accidents due to red light violations in Cologne, an increase of 17% compared to the previous year, including five deaths, including three pedestrians, such as t-online.de reports.

The ADAC recommends increased police controls and the use of traffic light flashes at dangerous intersections to increase safety in road traffic. In addition, the development of a “traffic light of the future” is stimulated as a solution. This traffic light could recognize large groups of people as well as children and the elderly and adapt the green phases accordingly. This could be an innovative measure to promote compliance with traffic rules and avoid accidents.