Increasing the Percentage of Drivers Yielding to Pedestrians in Three Canadian Cities with a Multifaceted Safety Program
Source: Health Education Research
This experiment evaluated the efficacy of a multifaceted pedestrian safety program in three Canadian cities. Following the collection of baseline data at crosswalks in all three cities, the program was introduced at a different point in time for each city. The treatment program included: (i) public education through the use of flyers, large feedback signs reporting the percentage of motorists yielding to pedestrians each week, school-wide training programs, and media attention; (ii) improved engineering through the use of advance stop lines and signs to encourage motorists to yield further back behind the crosswalk, and signs at problematic crosswalk instructing motorists on how to safely cross the street; and (iii) an intensive police enforcement campaign consisting of giving out warning flyers and warning tickets to motorists who failed to yield and small incentives such as a pen and bumper sticker to motorists yielding to pedestrians. The implementation of the pedestrian safety package led to large increases in the percentage of motorists yielding to pedestrians and a 50% reduction in the number of pedestrians struck in crosswalks in the two cities where this data was available.
