Pedestrian Synthesis Report
A Review of Pedestrian Safety Research in the United States and Abroad
Source: Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
The purpose of this report is to provide an overview of research studies on pedestrian safety in the United States; some foreign research also is included. Readers will find details of pedestrian crash characteristics, measures of pedestrian exposure and hazard, and specific roadway features and their effects on pedestrian safety. Such features include crosswalks and alternative crossing treatments, signalization, signing, pedestrian refuge islands, provisions for pedestrians with disabilities, bus stop location, school crossing measures, reflectorization and conspicuity, gradeseparated crossings, traffic-calming measures, and sidewalks and paths. Pedestrian educational and enforcement programs also are discussed. The results of this research will be useful to transportation researchers, engineers, planners, and safety professionals involved in improving pedestrian safety mobility.
This report is an update resulting from two earlier reports. The most recent was Synthesis of Safety Research: Pedestrians, by C.V. Zegeer (FHWA-SA-91-034, Aug. 1991). The earlier work was Chapter 16, "Pedestrian Ways" by R.C. Pfefer, A. Sorton, J. Fegan, and M.J. Rosenbaum, which was published by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in Synthesis of Safety Research Related to Traffic Control and Roadway Elements (from Volume 2, Dec. 1982). This updated report includes results from numerous studies, foreign and domestic. Also available is a review of pedestrian safety research from Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
