01390551

Component

In the United States, pedestrian fatalities account for nearly 12% of all traffic fatalities. Nearly two thirds of pedestrian fatalities occur at night, and insufficient pedestrian conspicuity is suspected to be a major causal factor. This paper reviews the existing literature on nighttime pedestrian conspicuity in order to emphasize what we believe is an under-appreciated aspect of the problem: road-users’ lack of awareness of relevant principles. We first review the evidence that insufficient nighttime conspicuity is a critical factor in pedestrian safety. We then examine the relevance of road-users’ lack of awareness of (1) the conspicuity problem, and (2) the fact that effective methods exist to enhance their own conspicuity. Finally we summarize recent data that suggest that educating road users about conspicuity principles might be an effective and economical approach to reducing the problem. We conclude that a carefully designed public education campaign has the potential to increase pedestrian safety at night.

01390545

English

14p

2004

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting, 83rd, 2004, Washington, DC, USA

Education; Highway safety; Night; Pedestrians; Publicity; Traffic safety; Traffic safety education; Travel behavior

Conspicuity; Crash countermeasure; Education; Night; Pedestrian; Publicity; Road safety; Road user behaviour; Road user education

Education and Training; Pedestrians and Bicyclists

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Aug 23 2012 4:55AM

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