Are Roundabouts Safer for Pedestrians?

Abstract

Pedestrians continue to be killed and injured at the meeting points with motor vehicles. The current study explored how drivers managed the cognitive load of negotiating roundabouts. One hundred fifty-five undergraduates at a large university in the southeastern United States were recruited. Participants were given some training on driving rules concerning roundabouts and were then presented with a 25 question, multiple-choice test that served as a check on learning. The participants who passed the learning check were then presented with 80 visual stimuli of driving situations commonly encountered at roundabouts. The stimuli were presented in Qualtrics as seven traffic situations that were randomized. Results supported the hypothesis that pedestrians are not noticed at roundabouts a significant amount of time making the pedestrian/automobile interaction at roundabouts a safety hazard. Participants failed to notice pedestrians most often in roundabout entering vignettes but also failed to notice pedestrians in roundabout exiting vignettes. Results suggest participants did not notice pedestrians attempting to cross the street in crosswalks at roundabouts. Additional research is needed to study how to increase visibility of pedestrian crossing in roundabouts. The findings of this study will raise awareness of the increased need for pedestrian safety measures at roundabouts.