Research Report
Charles Zegeer, Raghavan Srinivasan, Bo Lan, Daniel Carter, Sarah Smith, Carl Sundstrom, Nathan J. Thirsk, Craig Lyon, Bhagwant Persaud, John Zegeer, Erin Ferguson, and Ron Van Houten
Jan-17
Under National Cooperative Highway Research Program Project 17-56, the research team was asked to (1) quantify the relationships between pedestrian safety and crossing treatments at uncontrolled locations (excluding roundabouts) and (2) develop crash modification factors (CMFs) by crash type and severity for (a) unsignalized pedestrian crosswalk signs and pavement markings, including advanced YIELD markings; (b) pedestrian hybrid beacons; (c) rectangular rapid flashing beacons; (d) pedestrian refuge areas; (e) curb extensions; (f ) in-pavement warning lights; and/or (g) high-visibility crosswalk marking patterns. The research team conducted an extensive literature review, collected and evaluated data for numerous uncontrolled pedestrian crossing locations in a number of cities, and narrowed the list of crossing treatments for full evaluation to four: rectangular rapid flashing beacons, pedestrian hybrid beacons, pedestrian refuge islands, and advanced YIELD or STOP markings and signs. The research team analyzed before and after crash data and developed crash prediction models for those four treatment types at nearly 1,000 locations in 14 cities and developed CMFs for each treatment. This report quantifies the safety benefits of four of the types of pedestrian crossing treatments— rectangular rapid flashing beacons, pedestrian hybrid beacons, pedestrian refuge islands, and advanced YIELD or STOP markings and signs—and presents a recommended CMF for each treatment type. This information, which is suitable for inclusion in the AASHTO Highway Safety Manual, Federal Highway Administration’s CMF Clearinghouse, and other guidance, will be valuable to transportation agencies in choosing the appropriate crossing treatment for uncontrolled pedestrian crossings.
Before and after studies
Crash modification factors
Crash risk forecasting
Crash severity
Crash types
Crosswalks
Flashing beacons
Pedestrian movement
Pedestrian safety
Pedestrian signs
Pedestrian vehicle crashes
Pedestrian vehicle interface
Pedestrians
Traffic islands
Traffic signals
Traffic signs
Unsignalized intersections
HSIS Summary Reports are two to eight pages in length and include a brief description of the issue addressed, data used, methodology applied, significant results, and practical implications.
A variety of research studies have been performed using data from HSIS. Many of the final reports prepared are now available electronically.
Research reports are often summarized in executive summaries, technical briefs, or other abbreviated formats. Included here are those road safety summaries that involved research using HSIS data.
In addition to conducting research, HSIS resources are also used to develop products that can be used by practitioners in the analysis of safety problems.
HSIS data are sometimes used in research studies that result in other types of finished products, such as dissertations, theses, and conference proceedings.
