PEDESTRIAN NIGHT ACCIDENTS IN ISRAEL-A METHOD FOR IDENTIFICATION OF HIGH RISK LOCATIONS AND PROPOSALS FOR THEIR ELIMINATION

THE PROPORTION OF SEVERE-INJURY AND FATAL NIGHTTIME ACCIDENTS IN ISRAEL INCREASED FROM 26% IN 1960 TO 38% IN 1970, AND THE RISK OF SEVERE NIGHTTIME ACCIDENTS WAS FOUND TO BE MORE THAN TWICE THAT OF DAYTIME ACCIDENTS. THE MOST TYPICAL NIGHTTIME ACCIDENTS IN ISRAEL ARE THOSE INVOLVING PEDESTRIANS. FOR INSTANCE, THE RELATIVE RISK OF FATAL ACCIDENTS AT URBAN PEDESTRIAN CROSSINGS IS 3.9 TIMES HIGHER AT NIGHT THAN IN THE DAYTIME. DATA ON THESE ACCIDENTS SERVED AS A BASIS FOR IDENTIFYING AREAS OF FREQUENT NIGHTTIME ACCIDENTS, AND A SPECIFICALLY DEVELOPED IDENTIFICATION TECHNIQUE WAS USED TO ESTABLISH THE ORDER OF PRIORITIES FOR INTRODUCING IMPROVEMENTS ON THESE STREETS. MOST NIGHTTIME ACCIDENTS INVOLVING PEDESTRIANS WERE FOUND TO OCCUR ALONG SOME 230 KM OF URBAN STREETS AND 170 KM OF INTERURBAN ROAD SEGMENTS. MEASUREMENTS CARRIED OUT IN RESPECT TO LIGHTING AND VISIBILITY CONDITIONS CONFIRMED THE HAZARDS AND LIMITATION OF NIGHT DRIVING ON MOST OF THESE ROADS, AND THEREBY EXPLAINED THE HIGH NIGHTTIME ACCIDENT RISK. THE IMPROVEMENTS RECOMMENDED FOR REDUCING THESE ACCIDENTS MAINLY CALL FOR IMPROVED LIGHTING AND CONSPICUOUSLY MARKING PEDESTRIAN CROSSINGS AND HIGH-ACCIDENT AREAS BY SUITABLE MEANS, WHICH ARE DISCUSSED IN DETAIL IN THE REPORT. BASED ON COST-BENEFIT CONSIDERATION, IT WAS FOUND THAT THE BENEFIT OF INTRODUCING IMPROVEMENTS ON URBAN STREETS IDENTIFIED AS HIGH-ACCIDENT AREAS IS SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN THE COST OF THE IMPROVEMENTS (INCLUDING MAINTENANCE). /HSRI/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • REPORT NO 71/5
• Corporate Authors:

  Road Sarety Center, Technion /Israel

  ,    
• Authors:
  • Becker, M
• Publication Date: 1971-11

Media Info

• Features: Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 153 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Benefit cost analysis; Crosswalks; High risk locations; Highways; Improvements; Night; Pedestrian vehicle crashes; Road markings; Street lighting; Traffic crashes
• Old TRIS Terms: Traffic marking
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00224080
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Highway Safety Research Institute
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Apr 23 1973 12:00AM