Modeling the Influence of Smartphone Distraction and Pedestrian Characteristics on Pedestrian Road Crossing Behavior

Abstract

With the increase in the use of technology, smartphone distraction has become a significant pedestrian safety issue. Research on pedestrian smartphone distraction has been conducted mainly in western countries, and there is a scarcity of research in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This study is the first attempt to investigate the effect of smartphone distraction on pedestrians’ road crossing behavior in India. We conducted a survey of pedestrians, with 560 respondents (63.4% males), about their demographics and walking characteristics, pedestrian behavior (violations, errors, lapses, aggressive behaviors, and positive behaviors), and smartphone distraction. The associations of smartphone distraction and pedestrian characteristics with pedestrians’ road crossing behavior were identified by developing structural equation models (SEMs). The strongest influence of smartphone distraction was found to be on violations (factor loading = 0.50), followed by errors (factor loading = 0.44), lapses (factor loading = 0.41), and aggressive behaviors (factor loading = 0.37). No significant effect of smartphone distraction was observed on the positive behaviors. Male pedestrians were more likely to commit violations, errors, lapses, and aggressive behaviors, whereas female pedestrians showed more positive behaviors. Older pedestrians showed more positive behavior than young pedestrians. Pedestrians who walk at high speeds tend to engage in a high number of violations. Pedestrians with a crash history were more likely to commit violations and show aggressive behaviors than those with no prior crash experience. The study findings can aid policymakers in understanding the smartphone distraction habits of pedestrians, which are required to design behavior-based road safety interventions.