Assessment of Safety Benefits of Technologies to Reduce Pedestrian Crossing Fatalities at Midblock Location

In 2015, South Carolina ranked third in the nation in pedestrian fatalities per 100,000 population. Out of 979 total motor vehicle fatalities, 123 involved pedestrians, accounting for over 12% of all road user fatalities in South Carolina. While some individuals make conscious choices to walk and dwell in transit-oriented or mixed-use walkable communities, for others, vehicle availability or physical disability may dictate the pedestrian mode. Thus, pedestrian crashes and resulting deaths and injuries can disproportionately affect these segments of the population. Often, these crashes occur due to driver detection errors, such as: (1) inability to identify specific types of road users or looking at the direction that is appropriate due to the gap of cognitive expectation; and (2) failure in understanding stimuli when adequate lighting is not available or when a vehicle approaches in the periphery of the visual field for the road user. Historically, pedestrian detection has been the responsibility of the driver and is prone to errors related to expectation, visual acuity, visual contrast, etc. With the growing market of vehicle sensing, smartphones, and smart infrastructure, there exists a plethora of opportunities to aid the driver and pedestrian with enhanced sensing capability and visibility. This research lays the foundation of knowledge for pedestrian midblock crashes at nighttime, their exposure characteristics, and the potential effectiveness of existing sensing technologies. Through data analytics, this research advances knowledge for technology adoption to foster safer and more effective mobility for our society.

    Language

    • English

    Project

    • Status: Completed
    • Contract Numbers:

      69A3551747117

    • Sponsor Organizations:

      Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

      University Transportation Centers Program
      Department of Transportation
      Washington, DC  United States  20590

      Center for Connected Multimodal Mobility

      Clemson University
      Clemson, SC  United States  29634

      The Citadel

      Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
      171 Moultrie Street
      Charleston, SC  United States  29409

      South Carolina State University

      300 College Street NE
      Orangeburg, South Carolina  United States  29117
    • Managing Organizations:

      Clemson University

      110 Lowry Hall
      Box 340911
      Clemson, SC  United States  29634-0911
    • Project Managers:

      Ogle, Jennifer

    • Performing Organizations:

      Clemson University

      110 Lowry Hall
      Box 340911
      Clemson, SC  United States  29634-0911

      The Citadel

      Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
      171 Moultrie Street
      Charleston, SC  United States  29409

      South Carolina State University

      300 College Street NE
      Orangeburg, South Carolina  United States  29117
    • Principal Investigators:

      Ogle, Jennifer

      Chowdhury, Mashrur

      Michalaka, Dimitra

      Brown, Kweku

      Mwakalonge, Judith

    • Start Date: 20171001
    • Expected Completion Date: 20191201
    • Actual Completion Date: 20191201
    • USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers

    Subject/Index Terms

    Filing Info

    • Accession Number: 01884933
    • Record Type: Research project
    • Source Agency: Center for Connected Multimodal Mobility
    • Contract Numbers: 69A3551747117
    • Files: UTC, RIP
    • Created Date: Jun 14 2023 11:57AM