This paper presents the results of an in-depth study of 252 fatal and injury pedestrian crashes in Christchurch, New Zealand in the period 1996-98. The objective of the study was to determine the characteristics of the crash locations, the pedestrians and drivers involved, and the pre-crash behaviour of pedestrians and drivers to use as a basis for developing and targeting a pedestrian safety campaign. The study emphasised factors that could be addressed using publicity and enforcement measures. For crashes where the pedestrian was trying to cross a road, the results showed: school-age pedestrians were close to home, running, not looking for traffic, and often going into the side of passing vehicles; teenage pedestrians were doing the same as children but were more likely to have broken away from a group of other pedestrians; adult pedestrians were predominantly male, had a high level of drunkenness, more likely to be hit at night in commercial areas and were not looking for traffic; older adults were close to home, in commercial areas, more likely to be on zebra crossings, and not looking for traffic; drivers involved in the crashes were often not aware of the pedestrians before impact; pedestrians behaved in unexpected ways and drivers reacted inappropriately by not braking or by assuming that the pedestrian would not conflict with their vehicle. The conclusion is that this type of detailed analysis produces valuable information for planning road safety promotions. (a) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E202275.
Samenvatting