Pedestrian and Bike Rider Crashes on National Highway: A Unique Case of Pakistan

Ali Shah, Muhammad Zafar; Gazder, Uneb; Majeed, Junaid; Awan, Hammad Hussain · 2025 · Crossref

DOI: 10.37394/232025.2025.7.2

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Summary

This study investigates the factors contributing to pedestrian and motorcycle rider crashes on Pakistan’s National Highway N-80, addressing a research gap where most safety analyses focus on urban areas rather than high-speed national highways. The authors highlight that vulnerable road users in Pakistan often lack dedicated infrastructure, such as exclusive lanes or crossings, leading to severe interactions with motor vehicles. The research aims to identify primary causes of injury and fatality to propose effective mitigation strategies. The methodology involved collecting police-reported crash data (First Information Reports) from stations in Jand and Kohat along the N-80 highway for the period of February 2021 to February 2022. The dataset comprised 151 crashes involving pedestrians or bike riders. The researchers employed Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) to test for significant differences in crash occurrences based on time of day, crash cause, and crash type. Additionally, a binary logit model was developed to predict the likelihood of fatal crashes, and root cause analysis using Chi-square and Fisher’s statistics was conducted to examine interactions between variables and crash severity. The findings reveal that 78.14% of crashes were caused by overspeeding, while overtaking accounted for 10.59%. Crashes involving bike riders (66.80%) were more frequent than those involving pedestrians (33.10%). ANOVA results indicated that crashes were significantly higher during afternoon and evening hours, likely due to peak traffic and sun glare. The logit model identified overtaking as the single most significant factor increasing the probability of a fatal crash, with such incidents having a 26% higher chance of resulting in death compared to other causes. Furthermore, root cause analysis showed that night-time crashes and interactions between vehicles and vulnerable users significantly contributed to higher injury and fatality rates. The study concludes that the high severity of crashes on national highways is driven by human factors, particularly overspeeding and aggressive overtaking maneuvers by bike riders. The authors recommend stringent enforcement of helmet use, the implementation of speed-calming techniques, and the construction of dedicated lanes and pedestrian infrastructure to segregate vulnerable users from high-speed traffic. They also suggest raising awareness regarding the dangers of walking on shoulders at night. The research underscores the unique risk profile of national highways in Pakistan, where the lack of physical obstructions and facilities exacerbates the consequences of driver and rider behavior.

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Topics

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• vru crash typology
• motorcycle crash typology
• incidence prevalence

Information type

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• Empirical Findings: crash risk outcomes