Evaluating Countermeasures to Improve Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety

Noyce, David A.; Chitturi, Madhav V.; Alsghan, Ibrahim; Santiago, Kelvin R.; Bill, Andrea R. · 2018 · ROSA P / Safety Research Using Simulation (SAFER-SIM) University Transportation Center

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Summary

This study addresses the rising rate of pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities in the United States, particularly at intersections where driver error is a primary cause. The research focuses on the specific hazard of left-turning motorists who often fail to yield to crossing vulnerable road users due to high cognitive workload or attention failures. To mitigate this, the authors propose a supplemental traffic signal device designed to alert left-turning drivers of the presence of pedestrians or bicyclists, activated by push buttons or detection loops. The study aims to identify the most effective design for such a signal by evaluating driver comprehension and clarity. The researchers employed the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard Z535.3 methodology to evaluate four proposed signal designs. The evaluation was conducted in two stages using surveys administered via tablets at Department of Motor Vehicles offices and a university student union in Wisconsin. Stage 1 served as a screening tool where 259 respondents ranked the four designs based on how well each conveyed the intended message. The designs included a supplemental yellow pedestrian warning indication (Design 1), a similar indication in a separate signal head (Design 2), a modified flashing MUTCD R10-15 sign (Design 3), and a flashing text warning (Design 4). Stage 2 involved an open-ended survey with 145 new respondents who were asked to interpret the meaning of the two highest-ranked designs from Stage 1 and describe their intended actions. The results from Stage 1 identified Design 1 and Design 3 as the most effective, eliminating Designs 2 and 4 due to lower clarity ratings. In Stage 2, the analysis of open-ended responses revealed that Design 3 was the most promising and understandable option for communicating the presence of conflicting pedestrians to left-turning drivers. Design 3, which features a flashing yield triangle, the word “TO,” a pedestrian symbol, the words “TURNING VEHICLE,” and a left arrow, was deemed superior in conveying the required safety message. The study concludes that these findings will facilitate further evaluation of the selected design on a driving-simulator platform, narrowing the conditions and factors tested in subsequent experimental phases. This research provides a data-driven approach to developing countermeasures that enhance driver detection of vulnerable road users, potentially reducing intersection crashes.

Key finding

Design 3, a modified flashing version of the R10-15 MUTCD sign, was identified as the most understandable supplemental traffic signal design for warning left-turning drivers about crossing pedestrians and bicyclists.

Methodology

survey

Sample size: 404

Provenance

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

Topics

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• vru facing ehmi
• vru conspicuity
• cyclist safety
• pedestrian behavior perception
• rail grade crossings
• ehmi external hmi

Information type

What kind of knowledge this paper contributes, grouped by family — independent of topic (what it is about) and method (how it was studied).

• Applied Guidance: countermeasure evaluation
• Empirical Findings: crash risk outcomes, observational prevalence