BOISE, Idaho — The Ada County Highway District announced it is rolling out new software this week to reduce accidents between pedestrians and vehicles that are turning left on a flashing yellow arrow.
Now, when a pedestrian push button is activated, vehicles will no longer get a flashing yellow turn arrow while someone is trying to cross the road.
“This is a relatively new software upgrade, and as soon as it was made available to us, we jumped on bringing it to Ada County,” said, Gary Inselman, ACHD Deputy Director of Development and Technical Services. “Safety is our top priority, so anytime we have an opportunity to make the roads safer we take it.”
Police say they have seen way too many accidents at intersections where drivers are misjudging flashing yellow lights.
A 64-year-old Caldwell man died earlier this month when his van was struck by an SUV at the intersection of Eagle Road and Highway 44. Police say the driver of the SUV was turning left while a yellow light was blinking.
ACHD says the first intersection to receive the upgrades will be Adams Street and Veterans Memorial Parkway.
Four more traffic signals will be upgraded in the coming weeks. Over the next year, all intersections with flashing yellow arrows will be upgraded.
