Crosswalk Research Articles

Challenges in Chennai City Traffic Control: Insights from Commuters’ Road Usage Practices

Purpose: The objectives of the study were to find out all the entities that cause the road traffic in Chennai City and to analyse the various behavioural attitudes of various entities on road traffic in Chennai City. Design/methodology/approach: The study was carried out using questionnaires and interviews. The samples were drawn on a random sampling basis from the entire population of Chennai city. 1242 persons were interviewed. Findings: The study revealed that the respondents observed the civic practices of the pedestrians as they hold phones while crossing the roads or pathways, do not bother to stop at signals, do not cross the roads in the zebra lines; the civic practices of the 2/3-wheelers as the drivers attend to phones while driving, jumping signals, plying their vehicles on the platform, driving without helmets, and switching on the indicator lights; the civic practices of the 4-wheelers as cars using high beams within the city limits, not giving way to ambulances, honking near schools and hospitals, plying with one headlight; the practices of public works department personnel as roads are not laid down properly, roads are laid in patches, the main roads, streets, and infrastructure are not maintained properly; the practices of traffic police as government vehicles are not fined, and fine is collected by hand and bribery. Research limitations/implications: The study suggested pedestrians cross the roads only in zebra crossings but with utmost care or pathways to avoid the habit of talking over the phones, pedestrians to cross the road only at the designated places using zebra crossings; Drivers of vehicles must avoid phones while driving; Avoid jumping signals; not to drive in the opposite direction—enough number of Government buses to be plied to avoid the crowd. Ambulances should be given priority and no honking near schools, hospitals, etc. Traffic police should penalize heavy vehicles with fused/not working headlights. RTOs should include signal tests, eye tests in the driving license eligibility tests in India, and re-issuance of driving licenses should be done to check physical fitness. Traffic rules violators must be severely penalized regardless of whether they are Government or private vehicles. To avoid bribery traffic police should not collect fines in hand but rather through online. Drunken drivers should not be left free and fined. Social Implications: The study suggested how the behaviour of the pedestrians’ carelessness while crossing the roads, the vehicle riders’ irresponsible driving, and the needed responsibility of RTOs/PWDs/traffic police will change the traffic system into a safe traffic environment. Originality / Value: This study is the first kind of its own as it examines the behaviours of pedestrians, 2-wheelers/4-wheelers, Public Works Department Personnel, License Issuing Authority/Regional Transport Office, and Traffic Police whose behaviour affects the Chennai city traffic and suggests solutions to overcome. Keywords: Traffic control management, Road accidents, Pedestrians’ Practices, 2-wheelers/4-wheelers’ Practices, Public Works Department Personnel’s Practices, License Issuing Authority/Regional Transport Officers’ Practices, Traffic Police Practices.

Factors Affecting Driver Yielding at Uncontrolled Crosswalks

This study evaluated driver yielding behavior at basic- versus high-visibility crosswalk (HVC) markings on undivided major street approach legs of two-way stop-controlled intersections. The research team measured and compared driver yielding rates using staged pedestrian crossings at sites with HVCs and at sites with basic markings. Study sites were undivided two-lane roadways with relatively low speeds (25 to 35 mph speed limits) and volumes (up to 616 two-way vehicles per hour during crossings)—half with basic crosswalk markings, half with HVCs. In addition to site characteristic data (crossing distance, presence of bike lane, presence of on-street parking, location context), the study included the collection of vehicle volumes and approach speeds, which enabled statistical modeling of yielding in relation to site characteristics and driver speeds. In total, the study collected 1,188 individual observations at 32 sites in four states. The results showed that, under certain conditions, HVCs were associated with increased driver yielding relative to crossings with basic markings. The study further showed that an approaching driver’s speed and prevailing site speeds had a strong and consistent negative effect on driver yielding. Site context and other treatments present at the site had an impact, but the relationship between driver speed and yielding was robust and statistically significant across all tests. Drivers exceeding 40 mph were unlikely to yield to a pedestrian waiting at a marked crosswalk, suggesting that an agency should consider supplemental treatments to increase driver yielding at such locations.

Development of a Photovoltaic-Based Module for Harvesting Solar Energy from Pavement: A Lab and Field Assessment

The concurrent worldwide energy crisis has become a strong incentive for researchers, governments, and industry professionals to focus on sustainable energy solutions. Consequently, pavement photovoltaic energy harvesting technologies, as one of the most common sustainable energy solutions, have recently seen a significant improvement, especially in the new innovative designs of pavement solar panels. In this study, an innovative design for a prototype energy harvesting system was proposed based on thin-film photovoltaic solar panels. In addition, the feasibility of utilizing the generated power of the proposed system to illuminate a pedestrian crosswalk to enhance the safety of an at-grade intersection was also analyzed. The designed prototype consists of a thin-film solar panel, a transparent cover to protect the solar panel, and a wooden frame to support the panel and distribute the load. Different materials for the transparent covering plates were investigated, including polycarbonate with varying thicknesses, textured GlassGrit, and textured float glass with corundum skid-resistant coating on the surface. Finite element analysis was also conducted to analyze the behavior of solar panel-incorporated layered asphalt pavement subjected to dynamic wheel loading. The results showed that the suggested model could sustain the structural loads of a moving wheel without failure. Experimental results of the study showed that considering the seven hours of operation on a typical sunny day, the proposed system could generate approximately 699 Watt-hour of power during 7 h of operation (9 a.m.–4 p.m.) from the 304.8 mm (12 inches) × 304.8 mm (12 inches) pavement solar panel.

Analysis of pedestrian movement speed at signalized intersections

The time required to cross the pedestrian crossing is in the basic function, i.e. depending on the length of the pedestrian crossing and the walking speed of the pedestrian. Based on this, an analysis and synthesis of the speed of movement of children and the elderly when crossing the road at two signalized pedestrian crossings in Doboj was carried out. We get speed of pedestrian movement using scientific observation and measurement methods. The results are presented in tables and diagrams. Based on the obtained data, it was determined that pedestrian movement speeds decrease with the increase in the length of the pedestrian crossing.

Traffic Risk Image in The Light of the Road Situation Assessment Questionnaire

Introduction: Drivers often lack reflection on their behaviour. For predictive purposes and educational interventions, it is useful to know the individual traffic risk picture of the driver under investigation.
 Objective: This paper aimed to show the psychometric properties of the questionnaire and to establish a hierarchy of traffic situations in terms of perceptions of associated danger.
 Material and Methods: A total of 548 people aged between 18 and 68 years participated in the study. A self-administered questionnaire method was used to measure situational (road) awareness and the ability to anticipate the consequences of engaging in unsafe road traffic actions. The tool's accuracy was verified with the 'Controversy' questionnaire, which is used to measure the severity of drivers' normative beliefs about breaking traffic laws.
 Results: Satisfactory psychometric values of the questionnaire were obtained. After taking into account the correlation of measurement errors, an acceptable fit was obtained: χ2 /df = 2.48; GFI = 0.95; AGFI = 0.92; CFI = 0.96; RMSEA = 0.06 (0.048-0.072). Mean values and standard deviations for 14 descriptions of unsafe traffic situations were shown.
 Conclusions: The satisfactory reliability and accuracy of the measurement allow the method to be used in research and individual diagnosis in the areas of transport psychology and education. Overtaking at pedestrian crossings, on a bend, uphill, and continuing to drive despite fatigue are the most dangerous traffic situations associated with the risk of traffic accidents.

An analysis for safety and environmentally friendly pedestrian characteristic and crossing facilities selection, (case study: Jalan Alternatif Cibubur)

Pedestrians can cross the road safely if suitable facilities are provided for traffic conditions. The purpose of this study is to analyze the characteristics of pedestrians at zebra crossing facilities and choose alternative crossing facilities to confirm the safety and environmentally friendly of pedestrian and crossing facilities. Based on the analysis, men crossed faster than women, men’s speed was 1.28 m/sec and women’s speed was 1.20 m/sec. The individual crossing speed is faster than the platoon, the individual speed is 1.23 m/s and the platoon speed is 1.18 m/s. From the survey results, the pelican cross crossing is more recommended for these conditions, the travel time for pedestrians with a zebra cross is 17 seconds and after simulating the travel time with a pelican crossing 10 seconds. This scenario can reduce the travel time for pedestrians to reach their destination by 7 seconds, therefore the Pelican crossing facility can be used as an alternative facility.

Serviceability Analysis of Pedestrian Overhead Bridges and Underpasses

A grade-separated crossing allows a bicycle/pedestrian to continue over or under a barrier without conflict with a vehicle. However, the serviceability of these facilities is compromised in underdeveloped countries, including Pakistan. This research examines the effectiveness of pedestrian bridges and underpasses in terms of their usage by pedestrians. A total of 80,017 pedestrian crossings were observed at four sites (3 overhead bridges and one underpass) for four weeks (one week per site) using manual and video photography. The data about age, gender, and serviceability of each pedestrian was collected and analyzed using the chi-square test, t-test, and descriptive analysis. The study site selection was based on different characteristics, i.e., the number of lanes, type of median barriers, and type of facility (bridge/underpass). The analysis shows that most of the pedestrians (71.83%) did not use the crossing facilities, resulting in the poor serviceability of these structures. A comparison between bridges and underpasses also reveals that underpass usage (62.5%) is statistically more significant than bridge usage (11.62%). There is an effect of age (p<0.001) and gender (p<0.001) on the serviceability of these facilities as well, with pedestrians aged more than 25 years old and females using the facilities more than their counterparts. The study also provides implications for the effect of barriers and the height of facilities on the serviceability of these facilities. The number of lanes and the presence of a median barrier, as well as the height of the facility (number of steps), are the primary factors influencing the serviceability of grade-separated pedestrian crossings. Doi: 10.28991/CEJ-2023-09-04-09 Full Text: PDF

Pedestrian reported activity and information preference while waiting at a red light

AbstractThe development of pedestrian signal lights made it a promising information center to distribute information to assist safe road crossing and provide “controlled engagement” to improve waiting experience. To determine what types of information to display, this study surveyed 555 pedestrians on frequency of their existing activities while waiting at a red light and preference of several types of information based on results of a structured interview. Pedestrian reported 14 types of activities, from which the four categories with decreasing frequency were extracted based on factor analysis: scene perception, recreation, mental activity, and anxiety activity. The participants reported more mental and anxiety activity have higher need for external displayed information on signal lights. Overall, among the four information categories extracted from 24 specific information types with factor analysis, pedestrians preferred road crossing and contextual information the most, with less preference on learning and appreciation information. The least preferred information is entertainment information, within which they even disliked entertainment news and general commercial ads ( vs. local ones). There are also individual differences in preference for these information categories. The findings have implications on information design for the roadside signal lights as well as advanced traveller information system in general.

Using Logistic Regression to Evaluate Pedestrian–Vehicle Interaction Severity at Side Street Green and Exclusive Phase Signals

This study used logistic regression to determine whether there is a significant difference in pedestrian–vehicle interaction severity at side street green and exclusive phase pedestrian signals, and to evaluate whether waiting- and crossing times are useful predictors of pedestrian–vehicle conflict. To do this, data related to the physical characteristics of each intersection and to the crossing experience of every pedestrian were gathered at 32 signalized intersections in Connecticut. At each intersection, conflicts between pedestrians and vehicles were classified into four distinct severity levels: undisturbed passage, potential conflict, minor conflict, and serious conflict. After interpreting the results of six different logistic regression refinements, it was determined that waiting time, crossing time, the number of lanes, annual average daily traffic, pedestrian compliance, phasing, and the presence of crosswalks were all useful predictors. Based on the results of this analysis, low wait time and crossing time values were associated with a decrease in the odds of a conflict. It was also determined that exclusive phase signals reduced the odds of a conflict by 85%. Future research should investigate variables associated with different land development patterns and demographic information. Along with this, the crossing experience of individuals who do not comply with pedestrian signals should also be evaluated.

Strengthening Pedestrian Safety: An Evaluation of Signals at Major Intersections in Lahore, Pakistan

Pedestrians’ safe mobility at intersections is associated with the facilities provided at the crossings. Lahore is one of the most populous cities in Pakistan. Too many road accidents occur daily at various areas of Lahore in which pedestrian-vehicle collision has a major ratio. To reduce the pedestrian-vehicle collisions, pedestrian signals are installed at major intersections of Lahore city. This paper examines the relationship between pedestrian signals and Level of Service (LOS), with a focus on enhancing awareness of pedestrian signal operation and investigates the impact of pedestrian signals on the LOS of intersections in Lahore in terms of pedestrian movement. Research shows that the poor level of awareness about how pedestrian signals work contributes to the inadequate level of service of intersections in terms of pedestrian movement. The results also provide valuable insights for policymakers and practitioners in developing effective strategies to improve the pedestrian experience and reduce pedestrian-vehicle collisions at intersections.

Recognizing Road Surface Traffic Signs Based on Yolo Models Considering Image Flips

In recent years, there have been significant advances in deep learning and road marking recognition due to machine learning and artificial intelligence. Despite significant progress, it often relies heavily on unrepresentative datasets and limited situations. Drivers and advanced driver assistance systems rely on road markings to help them better understand their environment on the street. Road markings are signs and texts painted on the road surface, including directional arrows, pedestrian crossings, speed limit signs, zebra crossings, and other equivalent signs and texts. Pavement markings are also known as road markings. Our experiments briefly discuss convolutional neural network (CNN)-based object detection algorithms, specifically for Yolo V2, Yolo V3, Yolo V4, and Yolo V4-tiny. In our experiments, we built the Taiwan Road Marking Sign Dataset (TRMSD) and made it a public dataset so other researchers could use it. Further, we train the model to distinguish left and right objects into separate classes. Furthermore, Yolo V4 and Yolo V4-tiny results can benefit from the “No Flip” setting. In our case, we want the model to distinguish left and right objects into separate classes. The best model in the experiment is Yolo V4 (No Flip), with a test accuracy of 95.43% and an IoU of 66.12%. In this study, Yolo V4 (without flipping) outperforms state-of-the-art schemes, achieving 81.22% training accuracy and 95.34% testing accuracy on the TRMSD dataset.

Pedestrian Detection with LiDAR Technology in Smart-City Deployments–Challenges and Recommendations

This paper describes a real case implementation of an automatic pedestrian-detection solution, implemented in the city of Aveiro, Portugal, using affordable LiDAR technology and open, publicly available, pedestrian-detection frameworks based on machine-learning algorithms. The presented solution makes it possible to anonymously identify pedestrians, and extract associated information such as position, walking velocity and direction in certain areas of interest such as pedestrian crossings or other points of interest in a smart-city context. All data computation (3D point-cloud processing) is performed at edge nodes, consisting of NVIDIA Jetson Nano and Xavier platforms, which ingest 3D point clouds from Velodyne VLP-16 LiDARs. High-performance real-time computation is possible at these edge nodes through CUDA-enabled GPU-accelerated computations. The MQTT protocol is used to interconnect publishers (edge nodes) with consumers (the smart-city platform). The results show that using currently affordable LiDAR sensors in a smart-city context, despite the advertising characteristics referring to having a range of up to 100 m, presents great challenges for the automatic detection of objects at these distances. The authors were able to efficiently detect pedestrians up to 15 m away, depending on the sensor height and tilt. Based on the implementation challenges, the authors present usage recommendations to get the most out of the used technologies.

Rethinking infrastructure design: evaluating pedestrians and VRUs’ psychophysiological and behavioral responses to different roadway designs

The integration of human-centric approaches has gained more attention recently due to more automated systems being introduced into our built environments (buildings, roads, vehicles, etc.), which requires a correct understanding of how humans perceive such systems and respond to them. This paper introduces an Immersive Virtual Environment-based method to evaluate the infrastructure design with psycho-physiological and behavioral responses from the vulnerable road users, especially for pedestrians. A case study of pedestrian mid-block crossings with three crossing infrastructure designs (painted crosswalk, crosswalk with flashing beacons, and a smartphone app for connected vehicles) are tested. Results from 51 participants indicate there are differences between the subjective and objective measurement. A higher subjective safety rating is reported for the flashing beacon design, while the psychophysiological and behavioral data indicate that the flashing beacon and smartphone app are similar in terms of crossing behaviors, eye tracking measurements, and heart rate. In addition, the smartphone app scenario appears to have a lower stress level as indicated by eye tracking data, although many participants do not have prior experience with it. Suggestions are made for the implementation of new technologies, which can increase public acceptance of new technologies and pedestrian safety in the future.

Predicting pedestrian crosswalk behavior using Convolutional Neural Networks

Objective Pedestrian accidents contribute significantly to the high number of annual traffic casualties. It is therefore crucial for pedestrians to use safety measures, such as a crosswalk, and to activate pedestrian signals. However, people often fail to activate the signal or are unable to do so – those who are visually impaired or have occupied hands may be unable to activate the system. Failure to activate the signal can result in an accident. This paper proposes an improvement to crosswalk safety by designing a system that can detect pedestrians and trigger the pedestrian signal automatically when necessary. Methods In this study, a dataset of images was collected in order to train a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) to distinguish between pedestrians (including bicycle riders) when crossing the street. The resulting system can capture and evaluate images in real-time, and the result can be used to automatically activate a system such as a pedestrian signal. A threshold system is also implemented that triggers the crosswalk only when the positive predictions pass the threshold. This system was tested by deploying it at three real-world environments and comparing the results with a recorded video of the camera’s view. Results The CNN prediction model is able to correctly predict pedestrian and cyclist intentions with an average accuracy of 84.96% and had an absence trigger rate of 0.037%. The prediction accuracy varies based on the location and whether a cyclist or pedestrian is in front of the camera. Pedestrians crossing the street were correctly predicted more accurately than cyclists crossing the street by up to 11.61%, while passing (i.e., non-crossing) cyclists were correctly ignored more than passing pedestrians, by up to 18.75%. Conclusion Based on the testing of the system in real-world environments, the authors conclude that it is feasible as a back-up system that can complement existing pedestrian signal buttons, and thereby improve the overall safety of crossing the street. Further improvements to the accuracy can be achieved with a more comprehensive dataset for a specific location where the system is deployed. Implementing different computer vision techniques optimized for tracking objects should also increase the accuracy.

Factors Affecting Neighborhood Walkability: A Pilot Empirical Study in Qingdao, China

As an important part of urban livable environment construction, urban streets are of great significance for daily social interaction and urban vitality. Enhancing walkability is considered an effective design measure to connect places and promote physical health. Compared with previous studies that focused on spatial physical characteristics or transportation infrastructure (such as zebra crossings) of streets, this study aims to identify and analyze walkability indicators that are closely related to subjective perception at the microscale. A questionnaire survey was conducted face to face to collect pedestrians’ perception of walkability indicators, and an exploratory factor analysis was used to extract the main influencing factors. Structural equation models were constructed to verify the stability of the dominating factors and further explore the disparities in different walking intentions and different gender groups. According to the results, Access Safety, Stop Friendliness, and Visual Richness have a great impact on walkability, and women generally have a stronger perception of traffic disturbance and traffic safety than men. Ultimately, based on the results, some useful strategies are proposed for future street renewal. However, the study is limited to the geographical scope of Shinan District of Qingdao. Therefore, the longitudinal comparative analysis of other urban areas of Qingdao or intercity comparative analysis can be carried out in the future so as to provide extensive improvement recommendations.

How to reduce pedestrian fatalities: a case-by-case study to evaluate the potential of vehicle and road infrastructure interventions

In line with the UN’s global goals on sustainability several initiatives are promoting walking. However, if effective interventions are not implemented an increased number of pedestrians will lead to more road casualties. It is important to take appropriate decisions on interventions to reach Vision Zero adopted by the Swedish Government. This study describes the characteristics of fatal crashes with pedestrians on Swedish roads and investigates the potential of different vehicle and road infrastructure interventions to save lives. The Swedish Transport Administration (STA) in-depth database of fatal crashes was used for a case-by-case investigation. Out of the 226 fatally injured pedestrians during 2011–2016 in Sweden the most common accident scenario was a vehicle hitting a pedestrian while crossing the road. Most crashes occurred in darkness on rural roads (63%), but for urban areas the majority (53%) occurred in daylight. In general, interventions related to vehicle speed were found to address a larger proportion of the studied pedestrian fatalities on urban roads compared to on rural roads, while separated pedestrian paths outside the carriageway were found to address a larger proportion on rural roads compared to on urban roads. The intervention with the largest total potential was pedestrian crossings with speed calming measures for the motor vehicles, which had the potential to address 36% of the identified fatalities. A reduced speed limit in combination with speed calming interventions had the potential to prevent 29% of the studied fatalities while separate pedestrian paths outside the carriageway had the potential to prevent approximately 15%. It was estimated that the vehicle safety technology with the highest potential was autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection for passenger cars. With this system available on all cars, 58% of the studied fatalities could potentially be prevented. Most (up to 93%) of the studied fatally injured pedestrians could potentially be saved with known vehicle safety and road infrastructural technologies. However, the analysis of the potential effect of interventions show that it will take a long time until the advanced and potentially effective vehicle safety technologies will be widely spread. This shows the importance of speeding up the implementation. A fast implementation of effective interventions in the road infrastructure is also necessary, preferably using a plan for prioritization. There are two main approaches of doing that, separating road user groups, or reducing vehicle speeds in areas with mixed rod user groups to survivable levels, which is recommended to be 30 km/h. There is a need to identify areas where most pedestrian accidents occur and then use the most effective interventions. The results of this study could be helpful in this process.

How does attention deficit hyperactivity disorder affect children’s road-crossing? A case-control study

Objective: Children diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may have particularly high pedestrian injury risk given their deficits in attention, inhibition, and concentration. The aims of this study were a) to assess differences in pedestrian skill between children with ADHD and typically-developing children and b) to examine relations between pedestrian skill and attention, inhibition, and executive function among children with ADHD as well as among typically-developing children. Methods: A sample of 50 children with mean age of 9 years participated, 56% of them diagnosed with ADHD. Children completed IVA + Plus, an auditory-visual test evaluating impulse response control and attention and then engaged in a Mobile Virtual Reality (MVR) pedestrian task to assess pedestrian skills. Parents completed the Barkley’s Deficits in Executive Functions Scale-Child & Adolescents (BDEFS-CA) to rate children’s executive function. Children with ADHD engaged in the experiment off any ADHD medications. Results: Independent samples t-tests indicated significant differences between the two groups in all IVA + Plus and BDEFS_CA scores, supporting the clinical diagnoses of ADHD and the distinction between the two groups. Independent samples t-tests also indicated differences in pedestrian behavior: Children in the ADHD group had significantly higher numbers of unsafe crossings in the MVR environment. Partial correlations within samples stratified by ADHD status indicated that for both groups of children, there were positive correlations between unsafe pedestrian crossings and executive dysfunction. There were no relations between IVA + Plus attentional measures and unsafe pedestrian crossings in either group. A linear regression model predicting unsafe crossings was significant, with children with ADHD more likely to cross in a risky manner after controlling for executive dysfunction and child age. Conclusions: ADHD children exhibited riskier street-crossing behavior in the MVR, confirming an increased risk of pedestrian injury among children with ADHD compared to typically-developing children. Risky crossing among the typically-developing children and ADHD was related to deficits in executive function. Implications are discussed in relation to parenting and professional practice.

Walk or run? An observational study to explore pedestrian crossing decision-making at intersections in Dhaka, Bangladesh applying rules mining technique

To ensure the safety of pedestrians, it is essential to have a comprehensive understanding of their road crossing behaviors, including the factors that influence the decisions they make regarding crossing. One of the crucial crossing behaviors of pedestrians is the crossing pattern, which refers to whether a pedestrian crosses the road by walking or running. Safety of the pedestrians often depends on it as running crossing pattern is one of the riskiest crossing behaviors. However, there is a lack of inclusive studies that explore pedestrians’ decision regarding their crossing pattern. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the significant factors influencing pedestrians' decision regarding their crossing patterns (walk or run) at intersections in Dhaka, Bangladesh, using the chi-square test, and to examine the association between the identified contributory factors and crossing pattern using the association rules mining technique. Pedestrian road crossing behaviors, their characteristics, and traffic characteristics related data were collected from six busy intersections in Dhaka using the videography survey method. Findings of the study showed that walking crossing pattern was strongly associated with the factors such as controlled intersection, narrow road, wide median, female pedestrian, older pedestrian, using two-stage strategy, group crossing, accepting larger gap, using crosswalk, and crossing in front of slower vehicles. Besides, running crossing pattern was strongly associated with uncontrolled intersection, wide road, narrow median, male pedestrian, younger pedestrian, using rolling gap strategy, crossing alone, accepting shorter gap, crossing through conflict zone, and crossing in front of light and faster vehicles. The findings of this study would aid policymakers to develop effective solutions to improve pedestrian safety as well as to design future technologies like automated driving systems.

Istoriya vozniknoveniya iskusstvennyh dorozhnyh nerovnostej

Currently, artificial road irregularities have become widespread as elements of forced restriction of the speed of traffic flow on the road network in order to improve road safety. The are installed mainly near pedestrian crossings, in places where a large number of people are attracted: schools, kindergartens, hospitals, shops, markets, shopping centers, as well as in courtyards and residential areas. Wie article considers the historical experience of the use of artificial irregularities and the assessment of their impact on the safety and comfort of movement.

The diurnal and seasonal relationships of pedestrian injuries secondary to motor vehicles in young people

Introduction There remains a significant morbidity and mortality in young pedestrians hit by motor vehicles, even in the era of pedestrian crossings and speed limits. The aim of this study was to compare the incidence and injury severity of motor vehicle-related pedestrian trauma according to time of day and season in a young population, based on the supposition that injuries would be more prevalent during dusk and dawn and during autumn and winter. Methods Data were retrieved from the National Trauma Audit and Research Network (TARN) database for patients between 10 and 25 years old who had been involved as pedestrians in road traffic collisions between 2013 and 2020. The incidence of injuries, their severity (using the injury severity score (ISS)) and mortality were analysed according to the hours of daylight, darkness and season. Results The study identified a seasonal pattern, highlighting that injuries were most prevalent during autumn (34.9% of injuries). Prevalence decreased throughout the year from winter (25.4%) to spring (21.4%), to summer (18.3%). The greatest incident rate (number of incidents/hour) occurred between 1500–1630 h, correlating to school pick up times, but overall there was no significant difference in injury prevalence between hours of darkness (47.3%) and daylight (52.7%). However, a significant relationship between ISS and daylight hours was demonstrated ( p-value = 0.0124), whereby moderate injuries (ISS score: 9–15) were more likely during the day (72.7%), while severe injuries (ISS score > 15) were more likely at night (55.8%). Conclusion We identified a relationship between the time of day and the frequency and severity of pedestrian trauma in young people. In addition, particular time groupings correspond to the greatest incidents rate, suggesting that reduced visibility coupled with school pick up times play a significant role. We recommend targeted public health measures to improve road safety that focus on these high-risk times of the day.