Application of Demographic Analysis to Pedestrian Safety

In recent years, many departments of transportation in the US have invested additional resources to enhance pedestrian safety. However, there is still a need to effectively and systematically address the pedestrian experience in low-income areas. A Governing analysis of pedestrian crashes found that pedestrians are fatally injured at disproportionately higher rates in the nation’s poorer neighborhoods, and in metro areas, low-income tracts record pedestrian fatality rates approximately twice those of more affluent neighborhoods. Low-income areas often are sectioned by high volume/high speed arterials, which compounds the problem. This research developed a demographics-based methodology that identifies the quantitative relationships between dependent variables such as pedestrian crashes and severe injury crashes and independent variables including demographic and social factors, road environmental factors, neighborhood land use attributes, and individual characteristics in low-income areas. For demographic and social factors, major influential variables include proportions of older adults, commuters using public transit or biking, people with a low education level, and zero-car ownership. For road environmental factors, major influential variables include number of traffic signals per census block group, number of bus stops per mile, and proportion of higher-speed roads in a census block group. For neighborhood land use attributes, major influential variables include densities of discount stores, convenience stores, and fast-food restaurants. Additionally, dark–not lighted condition is the most influential variable for severe injury in pedestrian crashes. The number of impaired pedestrians and aggressive drivers also greatly increases the probability of severe injury. Based on the demographics-based analysis and results, this study makes specific recommendations for both engineering countermeasures and pedestrian safety education/outreach plans that resonate with a given area’s demographics to effectively improve pedestrian safety in low-income areas.

• Record URL:
  https://fdotwww.blob.core.windows.net/sitefinity/docs/default-source/research/reports/fdot-bdv25-977-30-rpt.pdf
• 
• Summary URL:
  https://fdotwww.blob.core.windows.net/sitefinity/docs/default-source/research/reports/fdot-bdv25-977-30-sum.pdf
• Record URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/32333
• Corporate Authors:

  University of South Florida, Tampa

  Center for Urban Transportation Research, 4202 East Fowler Avenue
  Tampa, FL  United States  33620-5375

  Florida Department of Transportation

  605 Suwannee Street
  Tallahassee, FL  United States  32399-0450
• Authors:
  • Lin, Pei-Sung
  • Kourtellis, Achilleas
  • Zhang, Yu
  • Guo, Rui
  • Bialkowska-Jelinska, Elzbieta
• Publication Date: 2017-4

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Edition: Final Report
• Features: Appendices; Figures; Maps; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 124p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Countermeasures; Demographics; Economic and social factors; Fatalities; Income; Injury severity; Land use; Methodology; Neighborhoods; Pedestrian safety; Recommendations
• Subject Areas: Highways; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Safety and Human Factors; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01637830
• Record Type: Publication
• Contract Numbers: BDV25-977-30
• Files: NTL, TRIS, ATRI, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Jun 8 2017 12:04PM