Modelling risk factors for fatal pedestrian crashes in Kolkata, India

Abstract

In developing countries, pedestrian safety is an issue of major concern. Although an extensive body of literature is available on the identification of elements related to the pedestrian’s risk; the studies are primarily conducted in urban areas of developed countries. The findings from these studies may only be partially relevant to the cities of an emerging country such as India. The present study analyzes historical crash records obtained from the “Kolkata Police” and identifies the risk factors at the road network level for the hazardous corridors posing a high risk to the pedestrians. The study findings reveal that pedestrians’ fatalities at intersections are associated with a high vehicular volume, higher pedestrian-vehicular interaction, high approach speed, overtaking tendency of vehicles, certain land-use type, encroachment of footpath, inadequate sight distance, inaccessible pedestrian crosswalk, wider minor carriageway, the absence of a pedestrian signal head, and lack of enforcement. On the other hand, the models outcomes reveal that pedestrians’ fatalities at midblock road segments are associated with low pedestrian volume, high approach speed, overtaking tendency of the vehicle, encroachment of footpath, on-street parking, wider road width, certain land-use type, inadequate sight distance, insufficient lighting, and inadequate pavement markings.