Advertisement

Advertisement

Elderly Step into False Security

Marked crosswalks are designed with the well-meaning intention of assisting pedestrians safely across a busy intersection. Yet University of Washington researchers have recently found that more elderly people are hit by a vehicle at these very intersections that traffic engineers thought so wise. Is it possible that crosswalk markings actually make our vulnerable journey across a busy street more risky?

During the 10-year period between 1988 and 1997, pedestrian fatalities in Canada averaged 486 per year and there was an average of 15,358 pedestrians injured. Of the female and male pedestrian fatalities, a respective 25% and 38% involved people 65 years and older. Furthermore, 85% of the fatalities within this older age group occurred in urban areas. Clearly, older pedestrians in cities are at a higher risk, often due to their slower pace, misguided judgements and loss of agility to avoid danger. Thus, this group of investigators was prompted to determine whether crosswalk markings at urban intersections influence the risk of injury to older pedestrians.

Collaborating with traffic authorities in six cities in Washington and California, the researchers identified 282 episodes between 1995 and 1999 of a pedestrian aged 65 years or older who had been struck by a vehicle while crossing an intersection. Trained fieldworkers collected information on these and 564 case-matched intersection sites. At each site on the same day of the week and time of day when the case event had occurred, the fieldworkers compiled data on environmental characteristics, such as the presence of a traffic signal or stop sign, as well as vehicular traffic flow and speed and pedestrian use.

After adjusting for pedestrian and vehicle flow, crossing length and signalization, the risk of a pedestrian-vehicle collision was 2.1-fold greater at sites with a marked crosswalk. However, nearly all of this excess risk was due to the 3.6-fold higher risk associated with marked crosswalks at sites with neither stop signs nor traffic signals. In fact, there was almost no association between risk of collision and presence of a crosswalk marking at sites with traffic signals or stop signs.

These results clearly show that more crosswalks are not necessarily better when there are no other traffic signs present to direct the attention of drivers. The researchers hope that traffic engineers will use this information to assess the safety of crosswalks at intersections with future planning. The message to elderly pedestrians should be that a marked crosswalk isn't necessarily a safe place to cross, and when possible, they should use intersections with either a traffic signal or sign.

Sources

  1. Koepsell T, McCloskey L, Wolf M, et al. Crosswalk markings and the risk of pedestrian-motor vehicle collisions in older pedestrians. JAMA 2002;288:2136-43.
  2. Transport Canada. Pedestrian fatalities and injuries 1988-1997: Fact sheet #RS2001-1. February 2001.