Field Study at Pedestrian Crosswalks in Utah Estimated the Expected Impacts of Four Types of Pedestrian Enhancements on Driver Yielding Behavior.
Utah, United States
Driver Compliance at Enhanced Pedestrian Crossings in Utah
Summary Information
Enhancements at pedestrian crossings can be valuable tools toward improving safety by increasing vehicle compliance in yielding to pedestrians. The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) commissioned a study to determine the local compliance rates of vehicles at pedestrian crossings with different types of enhancements and determine any significant variations based on factors specific to the crossing. Driver compliance rates at marked pedestrian crosswalks without enhancements were compared to those with the following pedestrian enhancements:
- Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB)
- Overhead Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (ORRFB)
- Overhead Flashing Beacon (OFB)
- Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon, also referred to as High-Intensity Activated Cross Walk (HAWK)
This study utilized vehicle compliance rates as a surrogate measure to assess safety improvements of pedestrian enhancements, based on observed driver compliance or non-compliance with Utah code in yielding to pedestrians.
Methodology
Data were collected in 2018 via video recordings and site visits at 17 marked crosswalk locations which met Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT), number of lanes, and posted speed limit criteria, yielding 400 total observations of compliance or non-compliance. To support the comparison approach, locations were selected to consistently have speed limits from 35 to 45 miles per hour (mph) and 5 lanes. Of the locations chosen, five had no pedestrian enhancements, three had an OFB, four had an RRFB, four had a HAWK and one had an ORRFB. Two cameras were installed at each site, recording the crosswalks for a 48-hour evaluation period, for later extraction of pedestrian volume and driver compliance data. The average annual daily traffic (AADT) data were collected through the UDOT Data Portal, with additional traffic counts used to generate estimates where AADT was not available. In addition, the Stopping Sight Distance (SSD) and a walk score for each location based on services readily available within a short walking distance and the availability of transportation options nearby were calculated. The main method to compare the influence of pedestrian treatment type on compliance rates was a Chi-square statistical test, followed by logistic regression to model the influence of other factors on compliance. The factors included in the final model were:
- Type of enhancement (HAWK, OFB, RRFB and ORRFB)
- Total number of vehicles in an event
- Stopping sight distance
- Walk score
Findings
- The Chi-square tests showed that all tested enhancements had a statistically significant effect on driver compliance rate as compared to the no-treatment scenario.
- Based on the regression model results, HAWK had a higher impact on reducing the probability of a non-compliance event compared with OFB. The model also indicated that OFB had a higher impact on reducing the probability of a non-compliance event compared with RRFB and ORRFB.
- For the type of locations studied (5 lanes and speed limit between 35 and 45 mph), the odds of a non-compliance event at a marked crosswalk without enhancement was 37.6 times higher than a HAWK-enhanced crosswalk.
- The model results estimated that the odds of a non-compliance event at a location with OFB was 0.23 times that of a marked crosswalk, while for RRFB and ORRFB, the odds were 0.425 times that of a marked crosswalk location.
- The results also showed that locations with longer stopping sight distances and better walk scores were associated with increased odds of driver compliance.
