Investigating the Factors Influencing Pedestrian–Vehicle Crashes by Age Group in Seoul, South Korea: A Hierarchical Model

Seunghoon Park,Dongwon Ko

doi:10.3390/su12104239

Seunghoon Park, Dongwon Ko

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/su12104239

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Journal: Sustainability	Publication Date: May 21, 2020
Citations: 5	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Gyeonggi Research Institute, Keimyung University

Abstract

Walking is the most natural form of moving in everyday life. However, the urban environment is not always safe for walking. Hence, it is appropriate to create pedestrian safety-oriented neighborhood environments to promote walkability. This study identifies factors that can affect the severity of pedestrian injuries by considering and comparing the individual characteristics of pedestrian crashes and the built environment of neighborhoods using a hierarchical model. The main results of this study are as follows. Those under 18 and over 65 years of age, which are recognized as vulnerable road users, are more affected by the neighborhood environments than other age groups. Parks, convenience stores, and restaurants are likely to play a significant role in reducing the severity of pedestrian injuries. However, for pedestrians under 18 years of age, convenience stores that students often visit after school are likely to increase the severity of pedestrian injuries. The severity of pedestrian injuries is likely to be lower at non-signalized crosswalks and intersections than at signalized crosswalks and intersections. The study is expected to contribute to existing literature on the topic and guide policy makers and planners to arrive at consensus approaches when making decisions on how to build pedestrian safety-oriented neighborhoods.

Highlights

Walking is the most basic physical activity among the various types of human mobility [1]
There are studies on walking by age group, few studies have examined how different age groups are vulnerable in terms of walking safety, even though walking activities vary by age. Responding to this gap in scholarship, this study identifies the individual characteristics of pedestrian crashes and the characteristics of the built environment in neighborhoods that affect the severity of pedestrian injuries by age group, using a hierarchical model to examine a hierarchy of data
The higher the interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) value, the more the severity of pedestrian injuries is affected by neighborhood environmental characteristics

Summary

Introduction

Walking is the most basic physical activity among the various types of human mobility [1]. Studies on walking have been conducted in various fields for a long time [4,5,6]. Studies have been conducted to understand the role of the built environment in promoting physical activity through walking [3,4,5,6,7]. For the elderly, certain features of the built environment affect their walking, such as proximity to various destinations, street connectivity, availability of paths for walking, and availability of public transportation facilities [8,9]. In the field of public health, it is important to understand how the built environment affects walking activities [11]

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