WHY DOES A PEDESTRIAN CROSS THE STREET?

PHOTOGRAPHIC OBSERVATIONS IN TRAFFIC AND ON-THE-STREET INTERVIEWS OF SAMPLED PEDESTRIANS WERE MADE. THE ACTUAL BEHAVIOR OF PEDESTRIANS IN NATURAL TRAFFIC SETTINGS WAS OBSERVED AND THE OBSERVATIONS ALONG WITH INFORMATION OBTAINED ABOUT THE PEDESTRIANS, THEIR ATTITUDES AND PAST EXPOSURE TO TRAFFIC AND DRIVING IS DISCUSSED. THE PRIMARY EMPHASIS WAS ON THE ELDERLY PEDESTRIAN. THE FATALITY RATE FOR PEDESTRIANS OVER 65 IS ABOUT NINE TIMES AS GREAT AS THE BROAD, YOUNG ADULT BASE LEVEL. THEIR INJURY RATE IS 1.5 AS COMPARED TO ABOUT 1.30 IN YOUNGER PERSONS. ON THE STREET INTERVIEWS POINTED OUT THAT THE ELDERLY ARE CONFUSED BY TRAFFIC AND HAVE LITTLE OR NO UNDERSTANDING OF TRAFFIC CONTROL DEVICES SUCH AS SIGNAL LIGHTS. THEY WALK THROUGH TRAFFIC ALMOST AS IF SIGNALS DID NOT EXIST. ELDERLY PEOPLE WERE ALSO OBSERVED WAITING ON A CORNER UNTIL THE LIGHT HAD GONE THROUGH SEVERAL CYCLES OR WAITING TO "CONVOY" WITH OTHER ELDERLY PEDESTRIANS OR WAITING FOR A YOUNGER PERSON TO ACT AS AN UNKNOWING GUIDE. MOST OF THE OBSERVATIONS CITED IN THE REPORT WERE MADE IN A PART OF MIAMI BEACH , FLORIDA WHERE THE 1960 CENSUS TRACT SHOWED AN AVERAGE AGE OF SIXTY. CORRELATIONS ARE MADE WITH OBSERVATIONS MADE IN ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA. /SRIS/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Vol7, No8, PP117-122, 10FIG, 11REF
• Authors:
  • Wiener, E L
• Conference:
  • MEDICINE, SCIENCE AND THE LAW
• Publication Date: 1967-7

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Age; Crosswalks; Fatalities; Human characteristics; Injuries; Interviewing; Pedestrians; Photography; Traffic control devices
• Old TRIS Terms: Pedestrian characteristics
• Subject Areas: Highways; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Safety and Human Factors; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00220744
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Nat Safety Council Safety Res Info Serv
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 26 1970 12:00AM