FREEWAY PEDESTRIAN ACCIDENTS: 1958-1962

PEDESTRIAN ACCIDENTS ACCOUNTED FOR 12.7 PERCENT OF THE FREEWAY FATAL ACCIDENTS IN CALIFORNIA BETWEEN 1958 AND 1962. RESEARCH ON PEDESTRIAN ACCIDENTS WAS UNDERTAKEN BECAUSE THIS SEEMED TO BE A TYPE OF ACCIDENT FOR WHICH SPECIFIC PREVENTATIVES COULD BE DEVISED. FACTORS STUDIED INCLUDED TIME OF DAY, LIGHTING, EFFECT OF VIADUCTS, WHY PEDESTRIANS WERE ON THE FREEWAY, AND WHAT THEY WERE DOING WHEN STRUCK. CONCLUSIONS REACHED INCLUDE' /1/ FORTY-THREE PERCENT OF ALL PEDESTRIANS STRUCK ARE ON THE FREEWAY BECAUSE THEIR VEHICLES ARE DISABLED OR WERE INVOLVED IN A PRIOR ACCIDENT, /2/ THIRTY-THREE PERCENT OF ALL PEDESTRIANS STRUCK ARE ON THE FREEWAY FOR THE SPECIFIC PURPOSE OF CROSSING THE FREEWAY, /3/ NINE PERCENT OF THOSE STRUCK WERE WORKING ON THE FREEWAY . OVER HALF OF THESE WERE POLICE OFFICERS. /4/ TWO-THIRDS OF ALL PEDESTRIAN ACCIDENTS ON FREEWAYS OCCUR DURING HOURS OF DARKNESS. /5/ FORTY-TWO PERCENT OF FREEWAY PEDESTRIAN ACCIDENTS ARE FATAL, /6/ SEVENTY PERCENT OF THE PEDESTRIANS ARE STRUCK WHILE ON THE MAIN TRAVELED LANES, AND /7/ WALKING ALONG THE SHOULDER ON A FREEWAY AND HITCHHIKING ARE NOT AS HAZARDOUS AS PREVIOUSLY SUPPOSED. IT APPEARS THAT PRESENT CALIFORNIA CONTROLS ON HITCHHIKING OR WALKING ON FREEWAYS ARE EFFECTIVE AND THAT FURTHER EFFORTS IN THIS REGARD WOULD BE RELATIVELY FRUITLESS.

• Record URL:
  • http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/hrr/1965/99/99-011.pdf
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
• Authors:
  • Johnson, Roger T
• Publication Date: 1965

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 274-280
• Monograph Title: Freeway characteristics, operations and accidents
• Serial:
  • Highway Research Record
  • Issue Number: 99
  • Publisher: Highway Research Board

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Behavior; Cognition; Fatalities; Freeways; Lighting; Maintenance personnel; Night; Pedestrian vehicle crashes; Police; Time; Traffic crashes; Traffic incidents; Travelers; Viaducts
• Uncontrolled Terms: Disabled vehicles; Reasoning
• Old TRIS Terms: Actions; Freeway traffic accidents; Purpose
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Security and Emergencies; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00219560
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Feb 20 1994 12:00AM