walkinginfo.org : pedestrian crashes : crash types

The development of effective countermeasures to help prevent pedestrian crashes is hindered by insufficient detail on computerized state crash files. Analysis of these data can provide information on where pedestrian crashes occur (city, street, intersection, two-lane road, etc.), when they occur (time of day, day of week, etc.), and characteristics of the victims involved (age, gender, injury severity, etc.). These data cannot provide a sufficient level of detail regarding the sequence of events leading to the crash.

In the 1970's, a methodology for typing pedestrian crashes was developed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to better define the sequence of events and precipitating actions leading to pedestrian-motor vehicle crashes. (1) In the early 1990's, this method was refined and used to determine the crash types for more than 5,000 pedestrian crashes in the States of California, Florida, Maryland, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Utah. (2)

A brief summary of the results showed the following:

• Nearly one-third (32.2 percent) of all crashes occurred in or near (within 50 ft) of an intersection. Of these, 30 percent involved a turning vehicle. Another 22 percent involved a pedestrian either running across the intersection or darting out in front of a vehicle whose view was blocked just prior to the impact. And finally, 16 percent of these intersection-related crashes occurred because of a driver violation (e.g., failure to yield right-of-way).
• Midblock events was the second major grouping of crash types and accounted for 26.5 percent of all crashes. The crash type most commonly found among this group was the midblock dash in which the pedestrian ran into the street and the motorist's view was not obstructed; this type accounted for one-third of all midblock events. Another 17 percent of these crashes were dart-outs, i.e., the pedestrian ran or walked into the street, but the motorist view was obstructed until just before the impact.
• Just over 7 percent of the crashes involved a pedestrian walking along the roadway and not on a sidewalk (e.g., on a paved or unpaved shoulder). Of these events, 72 percent involved a pedestrian walking with traffic and being struck from behind.

In 1999, the crash typing methodology was incorporated into a software product known as the Pedestrian and Bicycle Crash Analysis Tool (PBCAT) and is intended to assist state and local bicycle coordinators, planners, and engineers with enhancing pedestrian safety. PBCAT accomplishes this goal through the development and analysis of a data base containing details associated with crashes between motor vehicles and pedestrians or bicyclists, including the crash type that describes the pre-crash actions of the parties involved. With the data base developed, the software can then be used to produce reports and select countermeasures to address the problems identified.

References
1. Pedestrian Safety: The Identification of Precipitating Factors and Possible Countermeasures, Publication No. FH-11-7312, M.B. Snyder and R.L. Knoblauch, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, DC, 1971.

2. Pedestrian and Bicycle Crash Types of the Early 1990's, Publication No. FHWA-RD-95-163, W.H. Hunter, J.C. Stutts, W.E. Pein, and C.L. Cox, Federal Highway Administration, Washington, DC, June, 1996.