ATSSA: Improving Driver Behavior with Infrastructure Safety Countermeasures

8 Improving Driver Behavior with Infrastructure Safety Countermeasures T he roadway infrastructure should ideally provide safe travel for all modes of transportation. One of the causal factors to collisions between vehicles and pedestrians or bicyclists is the driver’s inattention or inability to see the pedestrian or bicyclist. The driver may be inattentive to the possibility of a pedestrian in the travel lane or a bicyclist riding alongside the travel lane. Also, pedestrians or bicyclists can be obscured by other vehicles in the traffic stream or less visible in nighttime driving conditions. Several infrastructure treatments and safety solutions can be systemically deployed to alert drivers of the presence of pedestrians and bicyclists. Figure 11. In-pavement lighting improves the visibility of the crosswalk at night (Image: LightGuard Systems Inc.) CASE 3: Pedestrians and Bicycles Figure 10. A highly visible, clearly marked pedestrian crosswalk (Image: Neal Hawkins, Center for Transportation Research) HAWK beacons are installed over the roadway and activated by pedestrians or bicyclists. The beacons first display a yellow signal to alert drivers of a change and then display a red signal to alert drivers to the presence of pedestrians or bicyclists and to indicate a required stop while pedestrians are using the crosswalk. The red signal tends to achieve a higher compliance rate for drivers stopping than the other lighting treatments, which are amber-colored. An evaluation that compared 21 HAWK sites with 102 unsignalized intersections used as a reference group concluded the HAWK effected a 29 percent reduction in total crashes, a 15 percent reduction in severe crashes and a 69 percent reduction in pedestrian crashes. Evaluations have also shown that in-pavement warning lights reduce the speed of drivers approaching the crosswalk and reduce the number of drivers who drive over the crosswalk while pedestrians or bicyclists wait to start crossing. This treatment can be installed so the in-pavement warning lights can be triggered manually or automatically and then shut off after a set period of time. The lights are focused toward the approaching vehicles. RRFB units are mounted on signposts in conjunction with crosswalk warning signs. The units have two rectangular yellow LED indicators, which flash rapidly in an alternating sequence. The flashing lights alert drivers of the presence of pedestrians or bicyclists crossing or waiting to cross the roadway. An evaluation of this safety treatment at a trail crossing in Florida indicates that occurrence of drivers yielding increased from 2 percent to 35 percent after the RRFBs were installed. The driver yield compliance increased to 54 percent when the lights were flashing. Prior to installation, 82 percent of pedestrians or bicyclists were Well-maintained crosswalk markings that are retroreflective increase the visibility of pedestrian crossing locations. The markings alert drivers of the possibility that pedestrians or bicyclists may be crossing the roadway and help reduce the potential for pedestrian-vehicle collisions. Static warning signs used in combination with the markings further alert drivers to the potential for a conflict with pedestrians or bicyclists crossing the roadway. Pavement markings alone may not encourage drivers to reduce their speed as they approach the crosswalk; therefore, the use of lights in the form of high-intensity activated crosswalk (HAWK) beacons, in-pavement flashing warning lights, or rectangular rapid flashing beacons (RRFB) can further enhance the conspicuity of crosswalks by alerting drivers to the presence of pedestrians or bicyclists.