Differential influences of road physical design attributes on pedestrian versus driver traffic accident frequencies

Abstract

Traffic accidents involving pedestrians and drivers pose significant public health and safety concerns. Understanding the differential influences of road physical design attributes on crash frequencies for these two groups is critical for developing targeted safety interventions. Considering that the zero-truncated characteristic of the data is uncertain, the results of the zero-truncated negative binomial models and traditional negative binomial models are calculated to seek the better model. The result revealed that the road surface conditions and vertical and horizontal curvature have greater influence on both pedestrian and driver compared to number of lanes and speed limit. And speed limits were more pronounced for pedestrian crash frequency than driver group. Conversely, the effect of different types of intersections was stronger for driver crash frequency. The differential influences of road physical design attributes on traffic crash frequencies for pedestrians versus drivers highlight the importance of adopting a user-centric approach to transportation safety planning and infrastructure design. Tailoring interventions to address the unique needs and vulnerabilities of different road user groups can lead to more effective safety improvements and better overall traffic safety outcomes.

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Central South University