The purpose of the present study was to investigate the influence of speed reducing bumps on the crossing behaviour of pedestrians and the search behaviour of car drivers. Head movements of 1446 pedestrians were recorded with the help of a combined film and video technique before, and six months after, bumps were installed on a crossing. On the crossing, the eye movements of six car drivers were registered before, and five months after, the bumps were installed. The eye movements on two control crossings were also registered. The registrations were made with the corneal reflection method. The results from the pedestrian study indicate that head movements, walking speed on the crosswalk, tempo changes and curb delay did not change, after the bumps were installed. The vehicle drivers, on the other hand, paid more attention to the road and less to road users on the bump crossing after the bumps were installed. On the control crossings no difference was found between the two registration occasions. However, the displacement in car drivers attention from road users to the road is very small and it is therefore difficult to know the implications for traffic safety.
Abstract