A pedestrian and traffic safety study was conducted in San Diego County, California, with 1,587 adult and teenage traffic violators who were attending traffic school. The surveys were disaggregated on the basis of respondents' demographic characteristics. There were 589 Spanish speakers and 998 English speakers. The surveys measured respondents' safe driving score and correlated the score with their assessment of safety and the level of aggression shown toward pedestrians in six photographs. Photographs were selected to depict certain pedestrian and driving environments and pedestrian-vehicle interactions. The photographs were used as a means of assessing the drivers' level of sensitivity to pedestrian environments. Respondents were asked to assess drivers' behaviors on certain roads, their levels of aggression toward pedestrians, and the quality of sidewalks. Responses to the photographs were analyzed with demographic differences (adults and teen, Spanish and English) and the safe driving measure scores. Significant differences were found in the responses on the basis of driving measure and demographic differences. Many respondents were unaware of California laws related to pedestrian's rights and duties when sidewalks are missing. They were also insensitive to pedestrian-driver conflict situations. Some of the lack in understanding or empathy toward pedestrians is due to inadequate treatment of pedestrian safety issues in the literature on aggressive driving. On the basis of this research, it is felt that aggressive acts toward pedestrians need to be included in the definition of aggressive driving so that drivers are made aware of the rights of pedestrians.
Drivers' Perception of Pedestrians' Rights and Walking Environments
Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board
Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board ; 1878 , 1 ; 75-82
2004-01-01
Article (Journal)
Electronic Resource
English
PART 1 - PEDESTRIANS - Drivers' Perception of Pedestrians' Rights and Walking Environments
Online Contents | 2004
|The Analysis of Roundabouts Perception by Drivers, Cyclists and Pedestrians
Springer Verlag | 2019
|British Library Conference Proceedings | 1992
|Have pedestrians legal rights?
Engineering Index Backfile | 1933
|The perception of pedestrians from the perspective of elderly experienced and experienced drivers
Online Contents | 2012
|