Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 5, 2025
06:38
Using a Virtual Reality Walking Simulator to Investigate Pedestrian Behavior
Published on: June 9, 2020
4.8K
Automobile-Pedestrian Injuries: Are Pedestrian Safety Features Associated With Injury Severity?
Rebecca Minas-Alexander1, Essam Hashem1, Amber Jones1
1Division of Acute Care Surgery, Department of Surgery, Kern Medical Center, Bakersfield, California.
The Journal of Surgical Research
|December 14, 2024
Summary
Automobile-pedestrian crashes cause severe injuries, particularly on high-speed, multi-lane roads with sidewalks. Nighttime incidents and substance use by pedestrians significantly increase injury severity, especially in disadvantaged areas.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Trauma Surgery
- Urban Planning
Background:
- Automobile-pedestrian (AP) crashes are a growing public health concern, leading to severe injuries.
- Understanding contributing factors is crucial for developing effective prevention strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify factors associated with severe injuries in automobile-pedestrian (AP) incidents.
- To analyze the impact of environmental and individual factors on AP crash outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 426 patients (≥15 years) admitted for AP injuries between 2020-2022.
- Data collected included demographics, injury severity (ISS, AIS), incident details (location, time, substance use), and environmental features (sidewalk presence, road characteristics).
- Logistic regression analyzed the relationship between safety features, socioeconomic factors (Area Deprivation Index), and injury severity (ISS, AIS).
Main Results:
- Higher Injury Severity Scores (ISS) and Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) for head/neck were observed when sidewalks were present.
- Fewer lanes (<6) correlated with lower ISS.
- Pedestrians under the influence of substances experienced higher ISS and AIS for external injuries.
- Most accidents occurred between 6 PM and midnight (43.8%), with most fatalities between 6 PM and 6 AM (76%).
- A significant majority (94.06%) of injuries occurred in areas with high socioeconomic disadvantage (Area Deprivation Index 9 or 10).
Conclusions:
- Severe AP injuries are more frequent on multilane, high-speed roads, even with sidewalks.
- Nighttime hours (6 PM - 6 AM) are associated with a higher incidence of AP injuries and fatalities.
- Pedestrian substance use is linked to increased injury severity.
- Socioeconomically disadvantaged areas are disproportionately affected by AP injuries.
