The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of hurrying and habit on illegal crossing behavior of pedestrians at a given intersection. Study 1 focused on student pedestrians crossing on red just before college classes began. These subjects were assumed to be "routine crossers", and were videotaped and monitored. As a result, it appeared that the motive of avoiding tardiness was related to the descriptive norm of "crossing", and not directly related to personal decision. Study 2 controlled for the effects of habitual rule-breaking behavior. Subjects were high school students who were crossing the intersection to take admissions exams at a nearby university. These subjects were assumed to be "first-time crossers", as opposed to routine crossers who were likely to cross the very same intersection on a daily basis. Results showed that the first-time crossers were more likely to observe the red light than routine crossers. Both studies suggested that the behavior of surrounding people is a strong predictor of pedestrian crossing behavior, and the importance of the descriptive norm was confirmed.
