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Using a Virtual Reality Walking Simulator to Investigate Pedestrian Behavior
Published on: June 9, 2020
Factors contributing to driver choice after hitting a pedestrian in Japan
Goro Fujita1, Kazuko Okamura1, Makoto Kihira1
1National Research Institute of Police Science, 6-3-1 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa-shi, Chiba-ken 277-0882, Japan.
Abstract:
In Japan, where pedestrian deaths account for a third of road traffic fatalities, 7.4% of victims die from hit-and-run accidents. To identify determinants for drivers considering leaving an accident scene after hitting a pedestrian, environment-related, driver-related, and pedestrian-related factors were examined using Japanese national police data. Results generally confirmed the conceptual framework of previous studies, which examined hit-and-run behavior based on a classic economic cost-benefit approach. However, results suggest that effects of road-related factors and harsher legal punishments have limited influence for reducing hit-and-run likelihood after a driver hits a pedestrian. Measures to prevent hit-and-run accidents are presented herein.
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