Policies and Interventions to Provide Safety for Pedestrians and Overcome the Systematic Biases Underlying the Failures

Job, Raymond Franklin Soames · 2020 · OpenAlex-citations

DOI: 10.3389/frsc.2020.00030

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Summary

This policy brief addresses the systemic failure of road transport systems to protect pedestrians, a vulnerability that is worsening globally despite the existence of proven safety interventions. The author highlights that pedestrian deaths increased by 12.9% between 2013 and 2016, nearly double the rate of other road users, and that pedestrians face nine times the risk of death per kilometer traveled compared to car occupants. The paper argues that this deterioration undermines sustainable transport goals, as walking is integral to public transit use and health. The research aims to identify the specific barriers preventing effective action and to propose policy interventions to overcome these biases. The paper utilizes a review of global road safety data, including World Health Organization reports, and analyzes systemic factors contributing to pedestrian fatalities. It examines the "safe system" approach, which designs infrastructure to accommodate human error, and evaluates the efficacy of various interventions such as speed management, footpath provision, and vehicle standards. The analysis identifies nine key factors underlying the lack of progress: the disproportionate benefit of passive vehicle safety to occupants rather than pedestrians; limited effectiveness of autonomous braking for pedestrian detection; the increased danger posed by high-fronted SUVs; the encroachment of e-mobility devices on footpaths; systematic under-reporting of pedestrian crashes in official data; victim-blaming cultures that shift responsibility to pedestrians; misleading economic arguments favoring higher speeds; poor road design that obscures pedestrian visibility; and the exclusion of pedestrians from economic modeling of road policies. The findings reveal that while effective interventions exist—such as 20 km/h speed limits, raised crossings, and footpaths—their adoption is limited by cultural and political barriers. The paper notes that crash data is systematically biased, with pedestrian crashes less likely to be reported and pedestrians more likely to be assigned fault due to difficulties in determining liability without detailed reconstruction. Furthermore, the growth of SUVs and the use of e-scooters on sidewalks exacerbate risks. The author concludes that relying on behavior change or education is ineffective, citing evidence that driver training does not reduce crash involvement. Instead, the failure to meet safety targets is attributed to a lack of political salience, inadequate funding, and a prevailing "roads are for cars" mentality that ignores pedestrian waiting times and safety needs. The significance of this work lies in its call for a fundamental cultural shift in road safety management. The author recommends seven areas for change: implementing speed-managing infrastructure like humps and roundabouts; improving data collection to correct reporting biases; advocating against victim-blaming; ensuring separate amenities for micro-mobility; designing roads to enhance pedestrian visibility; and formally including pedestrians in road policy and economic modeling. By adopting these systemic changes, the paper argues that pedestrian safety can be improved, thereby supporting broader sustainability goals including reduced greenhouse gas emissions, improved public health, and greater social inclusion.

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• comparative international