Pedestrian Crash Severity Research Articles

Motor Vehicle Speeds: Recommendations for Urban Sustainability

This paper explores how vehicle speeds are related to equitable, environmental, and economic sustainability of urban areas. This relationship is manifested primarily through associations between vehicle speeds and road crash casualties, severity of pedestrian crashes, generation of harmful emissions, and relative desirability of neighboring land. Reported research findings describing these associations are presented and discussed. Reported experiences with implementing various methods of influencing vehicle speeds, including automated enforcement, self-explaining roads, and in-vehicle systems, are presented and discussed. To support increased sustainability of urban areas, the following steps are recommended: (a) speed limits should be set to limit casualty risk and not to accommodate driver choices, (b) roadways in developed areas should be designed with 10-ft lanes and on-street parking and sidewalks, and (c) vehicle speeds in downtown and residential areas should be kept below 25 mph (preferably 20 mph). The paper also identifies gaps in knowledge about speed and sustainability.

Comprehensive analysis of vehicle–pedestrian crashes at intersections in Florida

This study analyzes vehicle–pedestrian crashes at intersections in Florida over 4 years, 1999–2002. The study identifies the group of drivers and pedestrians, and traffic and environmental characteristics that are correlated with high pedestrian crashes using log-linear models. The study also estimates the likelihood of pedestrian injury severity when pedestrians are involved in crashes using an ordered probit model. To better reflect pedestrian crash risk, a logical measure of exposure is developed using the information on individual walking trips in the household travel survey. Lastly, the impact of average traffic volume on pedestrian crashes is examined. As a result of the analysis, it was found that pedestrian and driver demographic factors, and road geometric, traffic and environment conditions are closely related to the frequency and injury severity of pedestrian crashes. Higher average traffic volume at intersections increases the number of pedestrian crashes; however, the rate of increase is steeper at lower values of average traffic volume. Based on the findings in the analysis, some countermeasures are recommended to improve pedestrian safety.

Factors influencing injury severity of motor vehicle–crossing pedestrian crashes in rural Connecticut

The ordered probit model was used to evaluate the effect of roadway and area type features on injury severity of pedestrian crashes in rural Connecticut. Injury severity was coded on the KABCO scale and crashes were limited to those in which the pedestrians were attempting to cross two-lane highways that were controlled by neither stop signs nor traffic signals. Variables that significantly influenced pedestrian injury severity were clear roadway width (the distance across the road including lane widths and shoulders, but excluding the area occupied by on-street parking), vehicle type, driver alcohol involvement, pedestrian age 65 years or older, and pedestrian alcohol involvement. Seven area types were identified: downtown, compact residential, village, downtown fringe, medium-density commercial, low-density commercial, and low-density residential. Two groups of these area types were found to experience significantly different injury severities. Downtown, compact residential, and medium- and low-density commercial areas generally experienced lower pedestrian injury severity than village, downtown fringe, and low-density residential areas.