The effects of intersection threat and driver behaviors on pedestrian perceptions of safety

Abstract

Despite the attention that walking continues to receive, the attitudes and feelings that pedestrians themselves have regarding walking have largely been ignored. To address this gap in research 268 college students participated in a study to determine pedestrian appraisals of safety at varying levels of intersection threat and different driver behaviors (safe, distracted, and aggressive behaviors). Using the framework of the theory of planned behavior and the component process model of appraisal a questionnaire instrument was designed to assess pedestrians’ feelings of safety, driver threat, control, and violation of social norms at intersections. Results indicate pedestrians report less control and increased violation of social norms as speed and number of lanes increase. Pedestrians reported feeling the least safe at intersections with distracted drivers and reported them as the highest violators of social norms. Implications of the findings for pedestrian safety countermeasure design, increasing walking behaviors, and including pedestrian perceptions in assessments of an area’s overall walkability are discussed.