The Prevalence and Impact of Red-Light Running

Red-light running occurs when drivers enter intersections after traffic signals turn red. This reckless behavior endangers drivers, passengers, and pedestrians, with ‌43% of violations‌ occurring between ‌8 AM to 4 PM‌. In the U.S., motor vehicle crashes remain a leading cause of death for individuals aged 1–54, and red-light running plays a significant role. According to AAA, red-light running causes ‌over 1,000 fatalities annually‌, half of whom are pedestrians, cyclists, or occupants of other vehicles. In 2022 alone, red-light violations injured ‌more than 100,000 people

Current Strategies for Detecting and Managing Red-Light Running

Common Approaches

Red-Light Cameras‌: Automated systems capture vehicle license plates and issue citations.

Adaptive Traffic Signals‌: Sensors adjust signal timing based on traffic flow, sometimes extending yellow lights to reduce violations.

Law Enforcement Patrols‌: Officers monitor high-risk intersections, though resource-intensive and difficult to sustain long-term.

Persistent Challenges

Data Complexity‌: Processing camera/sensor data requires manual aggregation and lacks real-time insights.

Privacy Concerns‌: Public backlash often limits camera deployment.

Technical Limitations‌: Weather, poor sensor resolution, and budget constraints hinder reliability.

Ouster Blue City: A LiDAR-Powered Solution for Red-Light Detection

Overview of the Solution

Ouster Blue City‌ is an end-to-end Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) solution that combines high-resolution 3D digital LiDAR with advanced perception software. It detects and analyzes red-light violations, traffic patterns, and safety metrics through a cloud-based dashboard—‌no external data sources required‌. Cities gain actionable insights to prioritize safety interventions and reduce collisions.

How It Works

Installation‌: Ouster LiDAR sensors are mounted at high-risk intersections, generating real-time 3D traffic models to classify road users (vehicles, cyclists, pedestrians).

Signal Integration‌: The system syncs with traffic controllers via ‌NTCIP‌ and ‌SDLC protocols‌, receiving signal-phase updates (green/yellow/red) every 100ms.

Rule Configuration‌: Users define permitted turning movements for each signal phase (e.g., left turns on green).

Virtual Detection Zones‌: Custom "presence loops" (virtual stop lines) are drawn in the Ouster Blue City interface. Algorithms track vehicle positions relative to signal phases to identify violations.

Automated Enforcement‌: When a vehicle enters an intersection during a red phase, the system records the violation along with metadata (vehicle type, timestamp, direction).

Data-Driven Insights

The ‌Ouster Blue City Cloud Dashboard‌ provides granular analytics, including:

Traffic signal status at intersection entry (red/yellow/green)

Vehicle classifications (car, truck, bus)

Direction of travel and phase-specific charts

Time stamps for entry/exit relative to signal changes

Building Safer Roads Together with Ouster Blue City

‌Ouster Blue City‌ goes beyond violation detection—it supports a wide range of ITS applications, from tolling to highway monitoring. By leveraging precise LiDAR data, cities can design smarter, safer transportation networks.