Scandinavian Working Papers in Economics

Working papers in Transport Economics,
CTS - Centre for Transport Studies Stockholm (KTH and VTI)

No 2011:18: Pedestrians’ behaviour in cross walks: The effects of fear of falling and age

Erel Avineri, David Shinar and Yusak O. Susilo ()
Additional contact information
Erel Avineri: University of the West of England, Bristol, UK, Postal: Centrum för Transportstudier (CTS), Teknikringen 10, 100 44 Stockholm, Sweden
David Shinar: Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Israel, Postal: Centrum för Transportstudier (CTS), Teknikringen 10, 100 44 Stockholm, Sweden
Yusak O. Susilo: Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Postal: Centrum för Transportstudier (CTS), Teknikringen 10, 100 44 Stockholm, Sweden

Abstract: Pedestrians are exposed to risks when crossing roads in urban areas. The crossing behaviour of pedestrians was studied as a factor contributing to their exposure to risks on the road and to their involvement in road accidents. This work explores two specific aspects of crossing behaviour: crossing speed and head pitches – the proportion of time pedestrians point their heads down (rather than towards the traffic) when crossing a road. The last one is used as an indicator of the (lack of) attention to cross-traffic. We also explored the possible effect of fear of falling (FOF) among pedestrians, as it might be associated with slow walking, less attention to cross traffic, and more attention to the pavement and their footsteps. This paper reports on a field study that combined an observatory technique with short survey. 203 pedestrians in two sites (signalised and unsignalised crosswalks) were video recorded while crossing the road. The FOF of pedestrians and other measures of pedestrian behaviour at crosswalks were revealed by means of questionnaire. Age and gender had the most significant effects on crossing speed, and FOF had a significant effect on the proportion of downward head pitches during crossing.

Keywords: Crossing behaviour; FOF (fear of falling); Age

JEL-codes: I00; O18; Z00

34 pages, December 13, 2011

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CTS2011-18.pdf PDF-file

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Published as
Erel Avineri, David Shinar and Yusak O. Susilo, (2012), 'Pedestrians’ behaviour in cross walks: The effects of fear of falling and age', Accident Analysis & Prevention, vol 44, no 1, pages 30-34

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