Development and Test of Rural Pedestrian Safety Countermeasures

Hale, A. (Allen), 1938-; Shapiro, R. G.; Blomberg, Richard D.; Kearney, Edward F. · 1983 · ROSA P / United States. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

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Summary

This 1983 report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) addresses the development and testing of regulatory countermeasures to reduce rural and suburban pedestrian accidents. Motivated by prior research identifying specific accident types, the study aimed to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of four previously developed model traffic regulations: one for school bus pedestrians, one for pedestrians on highways, one restricting freeway walking, and one requiring vehicle hazard warning lights. The primary objectives were to determine which regulations could be effectively tested, modify them based on empirical results, and develop public information concepts to support their enactment. After analyzing state traffic laws and testing feasibility, researchers determined that only the Model Regulation for School Bus Pedestrians was suitable for empirical testing. The other three regulations were deemed impractical due to existing widespread adoption, high costs for exposure estimation, or low accident frequency. Consequently, the study focused on two specific components of the school bus regulation in Ohio: the effectiveness of different bus signaling systems in preventing motorist passing violations, and the utility of convex mirrors in helping drivers detect pedestrians. The first study analyzed 429 police-investigated reports of motorist passing violations in Columbus, Ohio, between 1979 and 1982. The data compared three signaling systems: a four-light system, an eight-light system (adding amber pre-stop warnings), and an eight-light system with an octagonal stop swing arm. Results showed that the eight-light system with the stop swing arm had statistically significantly fewer passing violations per bus—approximately half to two-thirds as many—as the other two systems. No significant difference was found between the four-light and eight-light systems alone. The second study surveyed 3,131 Ohio school bus drivers regarding their experiences with signaling and mirror systems. Regarding signals, 68% of drivers preferred the eight-light system with the stop arm, a preference held strongly by those who had experienced "close calls" with children. Regarding mirrors, nearly 60% of drivers reported visibility problems, with 75% of these attributed to blind spots. Drivers overwhelmingly preferred a configuration of two mirrors on the left and two on the right, reporting the fewest incidents of hitting or nearly missing pedestrians with this setup. However, due to a lack of objective visual performance data, no specific mirror configuration was mandated in the final regulation. Based on these findings, the researchers refined the Model Regulation for School Bus Pedestrians. Key provisions include mandating a uniform bus appearance, requiring the eight-light system with an octagonal stop swing arm, and specifying functional requirements for pedestrian detection systems. New provisions added during the study require drivers to report illegal passing to police, mandate police investigation of such reports, and require annual safety instruction for K-6 pupils. The report concludes that while full safety benefits require statutory enactment, certain features like mirror requirements can be implemented administratively. Concepts for public information campaigns targeting legislators and transportation officials were also developed to promote compliance.

Key finding

The eight-light plus stop swing arm signaling system experienced statistically significantly fewer school bus passing violations than four-light or eight-light-only systems, and drivers with two left and two right convex mirrors reported the fewest incidents of the bus hitting or nearly missing pedestrians.

Methodology

mixed_methods

Sample size: 3131

Provenance

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• bus coach