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原文传递 Investigating Improvements to Pedestrian Crossings with an Emphasis on the Rectangular Rapid-Flashing Beacon.

题名：	Investigating Improvements to Pedestrian Crossings with an Emphasis on the Rectangular Rapid-Flashing Beacon.
作者：	C., Fees; I., Potts; J., Hutton; J., Roberison; K., Fitzpatrick; L., Lucas; M., Brewer; R., Avelar
关键词：	Crash Data Analysis; Driver Yielding Behavior; Effectiveness Assessment; Flashing Beacons; Light-emitting Devices; Literature Analysis; Pedestrian Crossing; Pedestrian Safety; Rectangular Rapid-flashi
摘要：	Several methods have been used to emphasize the presence of a pedestrian crossing, including supplementing signing with beacons or embedded light-emitting diodes. A device that has received national attention is the rectangular rapid-flashing beacon, but practitioners have asked whether the shape of the beacon plays a role in the effectiveness of this device. In the first phase of this project, researchers reviewed recent literature and pedestrian crash data to identify trends in pedestrian safety and in the effectiveness of crossing treatments. Researchers also conducted limited field observations at 10 crosswalks in 5 States, as a source of ideas for evaluating crossings in the second phase of the project. In phase II of the project, the research included a closed-course study and an open-road study to determine what characteristics of rapid-flashing beacons affected drivers??? ability to detect people or objects, as well as drivers??? likelihood of yielding to a pedestrian. The closed-course study included 71 participants who drove the course and viewed 8 beacon study assemblies, 9 distractor signs, and up to 11 roadside objects. The open-road study involved both rectangular beacons and circular beacons that were installed at 12 sites located in 4 cities from 3 States; both staged and nonstaged pedestrian crossings were documented. Although a slight difference was found between the average percent yielding to circular versus rectangular beacons (daytime: 67 to 59 percent; nighttime: 69 to 72 percent), the statistical evaluation determined that the shape of the beacon did not have a significant effect on drivers??? responses. However, a driver is more than three times as likely to yield when a beacon has been activated as when it has not been activated. Other variables that had an impact on driver yielding included beacon intensity (for nighttime) and city (yielding was higher in Flagstaff, AZ, compared with the other cities included in study), but not average dai
报告类型：	科技报告