A dynamic conflict-analysis framework for behaviour-centric safety evaluation of pedestrian-vehicle interactions at...

Pedestrian safety at unsignalized crosswalks remains a critical concern, particularly in heterogeneous traffic environments where formal right-of-way rules are often replaced by informal, real-time negotiations between pedestrians and drivers. Although surrogate safety measures are widely used to quantify interaction outcomes, they provide limited insight into how right-of-way negotiation evolves during pedestrian-vehicle encounters. To address this gap, this study proposes a behavior-oriented framework for analyzing pedestrian-vehicle negotiation dynamics at unsignalized crosswalks. The framework introduces a Negotiation Momentum (NM)-Sustained Dominance Duration (SDD) interaction space to capture both directional evolution of right-of-way and temporal stability of crossing advantage. These indicators are derived from a continuously defined Pedestrian Exit Buffer (PEB), estimated using a Dynamic Conflict Analysis Framework (DCAF) that models conflict geometry through road-user trajectories, heading angles, and representative vehicle dimensions. High-resolution trajectory data from four unsignalized crosswalks in India were used to classify interactions into ten behaviorally interpretable negotiation patterns. SDD thresholds were estimated using Extreme Value Theory, and a neutral NM band was defined to identify contested negotiation states. A multivariate linear mixed-effects model was then employed to examine safety implications of these patterns. Results indicate that safety margins are strongly shaped by negotiation structure: proactive yielding is associated with higher PET, TTC, and PEB values, whereas chaotic negotiation and pedestrian hesitation result in substantially reduced safety margins. The proposed framework provides a behaviorally grounded interpretation of pedestrian-vehicle interactions by explicitly linking safety outcomes with underlying right-of-way negotiation process, complementing conventional surrogate safety assessment at unsignalized crosswalks.