Visual assessment of pedestrian crashes

Area of Science:

• Traffic Safety Research
• Transportation Epidemiology
• Public Health

Background:

• Fatal pedestrian collisions are influenced by temporal factors like time of day, day of week, and time of year.
• Over 60% of pedestrian collisions in 2007 occurred at night, despite reduced exposure.
• Decreasing light levels correlate with increased pedestrian fatalities, even after controlling for other factors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore relationships between temporal variables and fatal pedestrian collisions using a novel visual assessment approach.
• To identify specific times of day, week, and year with the highest frequency of pedestrian fatal collisions.
• To inform effective mitigation strategies and safety fund allocation by pinpointing high-risk periods.

Main Methods:

• Application of graphical cross-tabulation for visual assessment of collision data.
• Analysis of the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) database.
• Exploration of temporal patterns including time of day, day of week, and time of year.

Main Results:

• The highest frequency of pedestrian fatal collisions occurs during twilight and the first hour of darkness.
• Seasonal analysis reveals distinct weekly patterns: December collisions are spread throughout twilight/early night, while June collisions concentrate on Friday and Saturday nights.
• June Friday and Saturday nights may represent the most dangerous periods for pedestrians.

Conclusions:

• Understanding temporal patterns of pedestrian fatalities is crucial for developing targeted safety interventions.
• Graphical cross-tabulation offers a valuable tool for identifying relationships and communicating findings to policymakers.
• Further research is needed to quantify pedestrian exposure during high-risk periods to fully understand crash involvement.