Attitudes of public light bus drivers to penalties to combat red light violations in Hong Kong

Red light violation is a serious driving offense because of the crash risk and injury severity with which it is associated. In 2006, in Hong Kong both the fine and driver demerit penalty for red light violations were increased to combat the increasing trend of red light violation offenses. Public light bus (PLB) drivers constitute one of the most problematic driver groups because of their high rate of driving offenses and involvement in crashes. This study employed a stated preference (SP) survey to investigate the perceptions of PLB drivers and their attitudes towards the increase in the fine and driver demerit penalty imposed for red light violations, and to measure the influence of these penalties on deterring red light violations by using a multinomial logit model. Possible interventions by driver demographics and the operational characteristics of PLBs in the sensitivity measures were revealed through market segmentation analyses. Both the fine and the driver demerit penalty were significant in deterring PLB drivers from committing red light violations. In addition, the market segmentation analyses found age, marital status, educational level, income level, vehicle class, employment structure, and salary system to be significantly associated with perceptions of the increase in the fine and penalty among the drivers.