Abstract
The research presented in this paper is focused on the definition of a new methodology for evaluating how illuminated crosswalks influence drivers’ behavior when approaching the zebra in nighttime conditions. The proposed methodology is based on in situ speed measurements, and cars’ speed was detected in an urban road segment of the city of Rome with a Telelaser instrument. Vehicles speed profiles are measured in the same road segment both in LED-illuminated conditions and in non-illuminated conditions. Results have shown a promising impact of the LED lighting system on pedestrian safety. In fact, cars’ mean speed decreases by 19.3% at the crosswalk section in illuminated conditions. Moreover, a positive effect on safety, in terms of mean speed reduction (−16.4%), was found even in the absence of pedestrians.
Highlights
The importance of horizontal signs and its influence on safety, especially in conditions of poor visibility, has been widely described in the literature
In many crosswalk sections in major cities around the world, in order to increase the crossing safety, a signal equipped with LED lighting was installed, which illuminates the roadway at the pedestrian crossing
[25], who measured the speed of vehicles approaching in this paper aims at in evaluating the impact of a gun lighting system located presented in the pavement in the the crosswalk section daytime through a laser
Summary
The importance of horizontal signs and its influence on safety, especially in conditions of poor visibility (night, fog, rain, etc.), has been widely described in the literature. Many authors [1,2,3,4] found that most road accidents in industrialized countries occurred in nighttime conditions; as found by Horberry et al (2006) [5], improvements in night visibility may be the major factor in reducing the number of accidents. Polus and Katz (1978) [6] showed a significant reduction in night car–pedestrian accidents when the crosswalk sections are equipped with lighting. According to IESNA (2000) [8], the percentage of fatal accidents that occurred in unlighted pedestrian crossings is about three times higher than the cases where there is a lighting system. In many crosswalk sections in major cities around the world, in order to increase the crossing safety, a signal equipped with LED lighting was installed, which illuminates the roadway at the pedestrian crossing. Other studies focused on energy savings and environmental implications associated with LED luminaires [13,14,15]
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