The University of Adelaide CENTRE FOR AUTOMOTIVE SAFETY RESEARCH

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TitlePedestrian accidents on arterial roads
AuthorsMcLean AJ, Anderson RWG, Farmer MJB
Year1996
TypeJournal Article
AbstractMost pedestrian accidents in the Adelaide metropolitan area occur on arterial roads. This has been so or at least three decades despite changes in arterial road layout and traffic control measures which have reduced the hazards confronting the careful pedestrian. The nature of the pedestrian's task when deciding whether it is safe to attempt to cross an arterial road is considered with reference to locations at which pedestrian accidents occurred. The importance of the travelling speed of the vehicle in determining the risk of a collision with a pedestrian and the severity of the resulting injuries is then illustrated with reference to a series of fatal pedestrian accidents on arterial roads. It is concluded that small differences in travelling speed can result in large differences in impact speed in pedestrian/vehicle collisions and that a return to the original urban area speed limit of 50 km/h on arterial roads has the potential to reduce pedestrian fatalities by about 30% on those roads.
SponsorFederal Office of Road Safety of the Australian Department of Transport
Journal TitleHighway Engineering in Australia
Conference Name8th National Conference Australian Institute of Traffic Planning an Management
Conference AbbreviationAITPM
Conference LocationAdelaide, Australia
Conference Date8-9 June, 1995
Journal Volume (Issue)28(1)
Page Range10-17
Page Count6
NotesAvailable from CASR library on request

Reference
McLean AJ, Anderson RWG, Farmer MJB (1996). Pedestrian accidents on arterial roads. Highway Engineering in Australia, 28(1), 10-17.