2024 Volume 10 Issue 1 Pages A_280-A_290
This paper describes an investigation into the motorists yielding behaviors to pedestrians at an uncontrolled crosswalk location. The study site in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture with rectangular rapid flashing beacons (RRFB) warning devices were used in this investigation. According to studies in the United States, the effectiveness of RRFB has been confirmed that the number of conflicts between vehicles and pedestrians at crosswalks decreased and drivers tended to give pedestrians opportunities to cross road safely. In Japan, authorities also have been struggled to ensure pedestrians right-of-way law by various measurements such as enforcement, education, traffic safety facilities etc., but there is not much knowledge on the effectiveness of crossing facilities using flashing lights. In this study, three elevated video cameras mounted on street lamps besides sidewalk were used to collect before-and-after data for installation of RRFB. The results showed that yielding by drivers increased 15.2 % after installation of RRFB over four months period, however it cannot be said that the flashing lights affected the drivers yielding behaviors because RRFB actuation rate at the experiment site was low.
