Study of Effects of the Pedestrian’s Standing Position and Behavior at Unsignalized Crosswalk on the Driver Yielding

Abstract

In 2021, approximately 70% of traffic accident fatalities at pedestrian crossings were caused by drivers violating pedestrian crossing laws, indicating that pedestrians are not always given priority at pedestrian crossings. In response to this situation, the police have been stepping up enforcement, but the effectiveness of such measures is thought to be limited. In this study, we conducted a survey focusing on the standing position and behavior of pedestrians while waiting to cross the street, based on the idea that if pedestrians could clearly communicate their intention to cross the street to drivers, it would be possible to improve the rate of driver’s yielding. As a result, it revealed that standing position has more influence on the yielding rate of cars than behavior while waiting to cross the street. The study also suggested that the effects of standing position and behavior on the yielding rate could be enhanced if drivers were unable to take evasive action.