Identification and Test of Pedestrian Safety Messages for Public Education Programs

Blomberg, Richard D.; Preusser, David F. · 1975 · ROSA P / United States. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

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Summary

This 1975 report, conducted by Dunlap and Associates for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), addresses the development and testing of public education messages aimed at reducing pedestrian accidents. The study was motivated by the need to translate findings from pedestrian accident research into actionable behavioral advice. The primary objectives were to derive message contents based on significant accident data, analyze target audiences and media channels, and pretest messages to determine if they could induce measurable behavioral changes in pedestrians and drivers. The methodology involved a two-phase approach. In Phase I, researchers analyzed data from the Operations Research, Incorporated (ORI) study, which provided a comprehensive typology of urban pedestrian accidents. This analysis identified nine major accident types, such as "dart-outs," bus stop incidents, and vendor-related crossings. Based on these types and associated behavioral errors, the team developed 14 specific message contents designed to counteract unsafe behaviors, such as failing to look for traffic or crossing in front of obstructing vehicles. In Phase II, seven of these messages were selected for pretesting based on accident magnitude and feasibility. The tests employed various experimental designs, including pre-post observations in schools, controlled experiments in banks and bus routes, and field tests involving ice cream trucks and driver rallies. Observers recorded specific behaviors, such as "course negotiation" (stopping before crossing) and "search behavior" (looking for traffic), to measure the impact of the messages. The results indicated that public education can effectively influence pedestrian behavior. Of the seven messages pretested, five produced significant positive shifts in behavior. For instance, messages directed at children regarding dart-out accidents resulted in a 13% to 15% reduction in unsafe crossing behaviors, including improved stopping and looking habits. A message targeting pedestrians at bus stops showed a marked improvement in crossing behavior, while a message for vendor clients (children buying ice cream) also improved safety outcomes. However, a message directed at adults in a bank setting showed no significant difference between experimental and control groups, and a message asking parents to accompany children to ice cream trucks was ineffective. Conversely, a message for drivers regarding turning vehicles suggested improved search behavior for pedestrians. The study concludes that public education is a viable countermeasure to pedestrian accidents, as both adult and child audiences can be influenced by targeted messages. The report recommends six message contents for immediate field testing, including those addressing dart-outs, bus stops, vendor interactions, and vehicle turns. It also provides specific media recommendations, suggesting channels such as films, television, and radio for different target groups. The findings underscore that existing child crossing behaviors are excessively poor and that focused educational interventions can yield measurable reductions in unsafe behaviors, thereby supporting the integration of public education into broader traffic safety strategies.

Key finding

Five of seven pretested pedestrian safety messages produced significant positive shifts in target audience behavior, with reductions in unsafe behavior ranging from 11% to 45%.

Methodology

mixed_methods

Provenance

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Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.

Topics

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• public messaging
• pedestrian behavior perception
• child pedestrian
• vru facing ehmi

Information type

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• Applied Guidance: countermeasure evaluation