Pedestrian Accidents in Kentucky

Abstract

The relationship of pedestrian accidents to human factors, environmental factors, time factors, and accident concentrations are reviewed. Many traffic accidents result from errors in human judgement. Because a majority of pedestrians, who were killed in traffic accidents violated a traffic law or committed an unsafe act, the nature and possible causes of human error are analyzed in an attempt to reduce the number of accidents. It was found that fatal accidents involving the very young resulted from their lack of understanding of traffic dangers. For accidents involving the elderly, reduced mobility and failing eyesight or hearing were the primary causes. Environmental conditions associated with fatal pedestrian accidents are important because they give the engineer information that may be helpful in deciding which physical characteristics of the roadway contribute to pedestrian fatalities. Environmental conditions that were considered include road-defects, road character, weather and light conditions, type and class of road, and area or county in which accidents are most prevalent. With respect to the time of day and fatal accidents, it was found that the greatest percentage occurred in the late afternoon and early evening. It was also noted that accidents increased as the population in urban areas grew. The pedestrian accident problem, it is concluded, must be handled in the planning stages of highway networks instead of being treated only after a concentration of such accidents is noted at a particular location.