PEDSAFE: Pedestrian Safety Guide and Countermeasure Selection System
Source: Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
The "Pedestrian Safety Guide and Countermeasure Selection System" (PEDSAFE) provides the latest information available for improving the safety and mobility of those who walk, particularly as it pertains to roadway design and physical roadway features.
PEDSAFE, what was developed by the UNC Highway Safety Research Center and VHB for the Federal Highway Administration, is comprised of four sections: a guide of basic information, specific countermeasure details, case studies, and an expert system tool for countermeasure selection.
- Guide: This section helps practitioners better understand the issues facing pedestrians, how to analyze crashes, and how to implement new treatments.
- Countermeasures: The Countermeasure section includes a comprehensive list of more than 60 engineering countermeasure options, as well as details of each countermeasure, including its description, purpose, considerations, safety effect, and cost.
- Case Studies: There are 85 case studies, or success stories, that document one or more of the countermeasures that have been implemented, along with the background of the problems, pedestrian safety solutions selected, and the results of the treatments.
- Selection Tool: The expert countermeasure selection system software allows users to input the basic safety problem and site conditions, and the expert system will propose a "short list" of candidate treatment options that likely would be suited to address the specific pedestrian safety problem for that situation.
While past versions of PEDSAFE have been produced in printed form, the latest iteration of PEDSAFE is only available online. The site offers a variety of interactive tools to best help practitioners address pedestrian safety issues. PEDSAFE can be found at http://www.pedbikesafe.org/PEDSAFE.
