A study conducted in late 2025 shows that more than half of Estonian drivers ignore red and yellow traffic lights, writes ERR News.
A study conducted by the Estonian Transport Administration in late 2025 showed that one in ten drivers continues driving even when the red – prohibitive – light is on.
However, compliance with traffic lights varied significantly in different places. For example, at one intersection in Pärnu, almost 40% of drivers ignored the red light, while in other places during the study, traffic lights stopped every time the prohibitive light was on. Drivers ignored yellow traffic lights more often in Tallinn, and overall, compared to previous studies, motorist discipline in the capital has weakened.
According to the research methodology, a traffic light signal was considered to have been ignored if, when the yellow or red light turned on, the driver continued to move for some reason even if it was possible to safely stop the vehicle. The study summary indicates that
on average 58% of drivers ignored the yellow light, while 9% continued to move when the prohibitory signal was on.
During the study, observations were made in 13 locations across the country, both at intersections and at controlled pedestrian crossings.
The highest number of drivers ignoring the red light was in Pärnu, at the Tallinn-Pärnu-Ikla highway intersection, and at the Pärnu-Lihula road intersection, where 38% of drivers ignored the prohibitory signal. Only in three of the intersections observed in the study were no violations detected, while in two other locations only one violation was observed.
The results of the study were also compared with observations from previous years, and it was concluded that yellow lights on highways and in cities (except Tallinn) are being observed more often than before. Meanwhile, the number of violations in Tallinn has increased, and last year the situation was the worst since the study was conducted with the current methodology.
In addition to observing drivers, pedestrians’ compliance with traffic lights, how often drivers stop at unregulated pedestrian crossings, and drivers’ behavior at railway crossings were also monitored.
According to Estonian road traffic regulations, a green light at a traffic light allows you to continue moving freely, while a flashing green light means that the yellow light will turn on immediately. A yellow light prohibits you from continuing moving, and the only exception is when stopping could cause an emergency. Driving at a red light is prohibited, as is the case when both the yellow and red lights turn on at the same time, which indicates that the green light will turn on immediately.
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