Pedestrian crash trends and potential countermeasures from around the world
Research highlights
► In this document, we examine Pedestrian crash trends from around the world. ► Drawing on international examples, this study suggests potential countermeasures. ► Potential pedestrian crash countermeasures provide a basis for crash reductions. ► We examine crash trends and countermeasures from the US, Australia, Europe, and Asia.
Introduction
As automobile transportation continues to increase around the world, bicyclists, pedestrians, and motorcyclists, also known as vulnerable road users (VRUs), will become more susceptible to traffic crashes, especially in countries where traffic laws are poorly enforced. In particular, nations such as India and China, which have burgeoning populations as well as a growing middle class, will see a substantial increase in traffic injuries and fatalities if strategies are not found to ensure the safety of vulnerable road users. Many countries, however, are employing innovative strategies to ensure that road users can more safely navigate the urban landscape. While bicyclists and motorcyclists are important road users, this paper will focus on pedestrian crash problems and solutions.
Pedestrians are most at risk in urban areas due in part to the large amount of pedestrian and vehicle activity in urban areas. No matter if the primary mode of transportation is the automobile, bicycle, or public transit; people must walk as a part of the trip, such as from their home to the store or place of employment, and/or to the transit stop. With this in mind, designing safe, accessible, and comprehensive facilities for pedestrians is vital to reducing pedestrian crashes. This paper will provide some insight into the magnitude of the pedestrian crash problem around the world, and will offer some lessons learned from several countries, particularly in Europe and the U.S., for improving pedestrian safety. Beginning with pedestrian safety statistics at the global, regional, and national levels, this paper will address potential countermeasures and strategies for improving pedestrian safety from an international perspective.
According to the Global Status Report on Road Safety: Time for Action, over 1.2 million motor vehicle-related deaths occur per year, and between 20 and 50 million people are injured in crashes annually (WHO, 2009). To put this in perspective, these fatality rates are comparable to deaths from all communicable disease, which speaks to the necessity of creating safe environments for road users and particularly pedestrians. Of those that are killed on roads across the globe, about half of the fatalities constitute vulnerable road users (WHO, 2009).
Even more distressing is the fact that children are particularly at risk in road crashes. Approximately 21% of road traffic deaths involve children, yielding an average of 720 child deaths related to road traffic crashes per day. These crashes are also the leading cause of child disability (WHO & United Nations Children's Fund, 2008). Judging by these astonishing statistics, the topic of pedestrian safety is certainly pertinent for planners, engineers, and legislators around the world.
In terms of pedestrian crashes on a worldwide scale, over 400,000 pedestrians die every year with over half of these deaths occurring in low-income countries (Naci et al., 2009). While many countries do have strategies to mitigate pedestrian crashes, it is clear that many low-income countries are lacking in pedestrian safety amenities.
Fig. 1 displays the distribution of road traffic fatalities by road user group, differentiating between low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries. This graph clearly illustrates that with greater wealth comes greater motorization and that fatal pedestrian crashes are higher in low-income countries, despite the fact that overall fatal motor vehicle crashes are higher in high-income countries. In order to further refine this analysis, we examine the distribution of crashes by country.
As expected, more populous countries will have higher absolute numbers of pedestrian deaths with China, India, and the Russian Federation in first, second, and third in that category, respectively.
Making decisions based on the absolute numbers of pedestrian deaths (see Fig. 2), however, does not necessarily indicate where pedestrians are most in danger. By normalizing the number of pedestrian fatalities relative to all traffic fatalities, a much clearer picture is generated of where pedestrian safety is a huge concern. The results are somewhat surprising but support the previous conclusion that in lower-income countries, pedestrian fatalities constitute a greater portion of all fatalities than in high-income countries. Fig. 3 is a graphic representation of this information.
Not surprisingly, no high-income country is present in the graph of pedestrian death as a percent of total traffic deaths. It is surprising; however, that 78% of overall traffic fatalities in Peru are pedestrians, while Mozambique and El Salvador are both above 60%. With such large percentages of pedestrian deaths, this might be an indication that low-income countries are not able to provide adequate pedestrian facilities for crossing or walking along roadways.
With these statistics introducing the problem of pedestrian safety on a worldwide, regional, and national scale, the following is a description of pedestrian crash characteristics and trends primarily from the U.S., where pedestrian fatalities constitute approximately 13% of all traffic deaths (FARS, 2008). Using the U.S. as a model can help to understand the types of countermeasures that may be effective in reducing the risk of pedestrian crashes and related injuries and deaths. Pedestrian fatal crash characteristics and trends will also be examined for European nations as well as other countries around the world.
Section snippets
Pedestrians most at risk
Pedestrian fatal crash trends continue to show greater problems for children and older adult pedestrians. According to Chang (2008), between 1997 and 2006, children under age 15 accounted for about 21% of the U.S. population, and accounted for 23% of fatal pedestrian crashes. According to Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), children 15 years old or less account for 8% of pedestrian fatalities (FARS, 2008). Pedestrians over age 70 made up about 9% of the population but 16% of pedestrian
Northern Europe
A February, 2010 report entitled “Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety and Mobility in Europe” was written by a team of 12 transportation professionals from the U.S. based on a technical tour (scan) of practices and policies from five countries: Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom (Fisher et al., 2010). The purpose of this scan was to identify and assess effective approaches for improving pedestrian and bicyclist safety and mobility. Although the scan focused on identifying
Australia
In Australia, the crash problem roughly resembles the situation in the United States and in England, at least in terms of crash fatality rates for pedestrians (Cairney, 1999). Their policies on signage, crosswalks, and signals are also fairly similar to those of the United States. In terms of medians and pedestrian refuge areas, however, Australian roads are often designed to very generous standards, facilitating the inclusion of medians and refuge islands at a later date. In addition to
Key trends
More highly industrialized nations such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and those in Europe have made progress in pedestrian safety in recent years, although future advancements certainly need to continue in some of these countries. Other lower-income nations, (e.g. China and India) are experiencing growth in terms of economic development and motorization and are also beginning to address pedestrians’ safety needs to a larger extent than in the past.
One key trend, which is nearly
Proposed pedestrian strategies
Based on a review of a variety of research results and studies from around the world (including the lessons learned from Europe as given above), there is evidence that there are many types of specific safety improvements that can potentially improve pedestrian safety, depending on the country, city, and/or roadway situation. The following is not meant to be a complete compilation of all possible safety improvements, but a list of broad strategies or approaches compiled by the authors, that are
Closing
Providing a safer roadway system for pedestrians requires that planners and engineers at all governmental and private organizations are familiar with (and motivated to provide) geometric and traffic control measures that balance the safety needs of all road users, including pedestrians. Such knowledge has not been widely provided at the college and university level to date, so professional training is needed to reach safety professionals with the latest research-based information possible on
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