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TO PAINT OR NOT TO PAINT

CONCERN OVER THE DESIRABILITY OF MARKING CROSSWALKS HAS RESULTED IN A FIVE-YEAR STUDY TO OBTAIN FACTUAL DATA REGARDING THE RELATIVE NUMBERS OF ACCIDENTS THAT OCCUR IN PAINTED AND UNPAINTED CROSSWALKS. THE STUDY WAS BASED ON OBSERVATIONS MADE AT 400 INTERSECTIONS IN THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, EACH OF WHICH HAD ONE PAINTED AND ONE UNPAINTED CROSSWALK ACROSS THE MAJOR THOROUGHFARE, AND ON SUPPLEMENTARY PEDESTRIAN VOLUME COUNTS MADE AT TEN PERCENT OF THE CROSSINGS DURING THE AFTERNOON PEAK HOURS. THE FINDINGS REVEAL THAT OF THE TOTAL NUMBER OF FATAL PEDESTRIAN ACCIDENTS: (1) 18 OCCURRED IN PAINTED CROSSWALKS AND 3 IN UNPAINTED CROSSWALKS, (2) THE TOTAL PEDESTRIAN ACCIDENTS (FATAL AND NON-FATAL) WAS 177 IN PAINTED AND 31 IN UNPAINTED UNPAINTED CROSSWALKS, AND (3) HIGHEST INCIDENCE OF ACCIDENTS WAS BETWEEN 5 AND 6 P.M. AND 6 AND 7 P.M. AND ALL OF THESE ACCIDENTS ACCURRED IN PAINTED CROSSWALKS. OVERALL THE ACCIDENT RATIO IS REVEALED AS 5.7 IN PAINTED CROSSWALKS AND 10. IN UNPAINTED CROSSWALKS. THIS RATIO COMPARES WITH THE PEDESTRIAN VOLUME RATIO OF 2.6 PERSONS CROSSING IN PAINTED CROSSWALKS TO 1.0 CROSSING IN THE UNPAINTED CROSSWALKS. THE DATA TENDS TO INDICATE THAT THE NUMBER OF ACCIDENTS IN PAINTED CROSSWALKS EXCEEDS THOSE IN UNPAINTED CROSSWALKS BY AN AMOUNT GREATER THAN MIGHT BE EXPECTED IN TERMS OF USAGE AND SUGGESTS THAT IT MIGHT BE BETTER TO LEAVE PEDESTRIAN CROSSINGS UNMARKED RATHER THAN TO BOTHER WITH PAINTING EVEN SOME OF THEM.

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  • Supplemental Notes:
    • Vol 100, No 4, PP 70-72
  • Publication Date: 1969-4

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  • Accession Number: 00220471
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Files: TRIS
  • Created Date: Jul 22 1994 12:00AM