NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION A Compendium of NHTSA’s Pedestrian and Bicyclist Traffic Safety Research Projects 1969-2007 This publication is distributed by the U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in the interest of information exchange. The opinions, findings, and conclusions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Department of Transportation or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The United States Government assumes no liability for its contents or use thereof. If trade or manufacturers' names or products are mentioned, it is because they are considered essential to the object of the publication and should not be construed as an endorsement. The United States Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. Cover photograph of pedestrians by Dan Burden, www.pedbikeimages.org ii iii Technical Report Documentation Page 1. Report No. 2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient’s Catalog No. DOT HS 810 793 4. Title and Subject 5. Report Date A Compendium of NHTSA Pedestrian and Bicyclist Research Projects: July 2007 1969 – 2007 6. Performing Organization Code 7. Author(s) 8. Performing Organization Report No. Arlene M. Cleven and Richard D. Blomberg 9. Performing Organization Name and Address 10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS) Dunlap and Associates, Inc. 110 Lenox Avenue 11. Contract or Grant No. Stamford, CT 06906 DTNH22-99-D-05099, Task Order 7 12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address 13. Type of Report and Period Covered Final Report U.S. Department of Transportation 12/22/03 – 12/22/05 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 14. Sponsoring Agency Code 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE. Washington, DC 20590 15. Supplementary Notes The Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative was Marvin M. Levy, Ph.D. 16. Abstract In 2005 more than 5,000 people were killed in pedestrian and bicycle motor-vehicle-related crashes. This compendium describes the pedestrian and bicyclist safety research conducted by the Office of Behavioral Safety Research and its predecessor organizations during the period 1969–2007. The compendium begins with a description of the structure and philosophy of the NHTSA pedestrian and bicycle research programs. It is followed by a section that describes the research on the development of taxonomies of crash types, since the results of that research formed the foundation for many of the subsequent NHTSA pedestrian and bicycle research studies. A chronological listing of major activities that occurred in the decades spanned by NHTSA’s pedestrian and bicyclist research programs is then presented. The final section discusses lessons learned from the pedestrian and bicycle research activities. Appendix A to this compendium contains abstracts of relevant research in a standardized format. Appendix B presents lists of pedestrian and bicyclist crash types as they have evolved over the years 17. Key Words 18. Distribution Statement Pedestrian safety Alcohol DOCUMENT IS AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC THRUGH THE Bicycle safety Speed NATIONAL TECHNICAL INFORMATION SERVICE, Countermeasures Conspicuity SPRINGFIELD, VA 22161 Education Children Enforcement Older (65+) adult Engineering 19. Security Classif. (of this report) 20. Security Classif. (of this page) 21. No. of Pages 22. Price Unclassified Unclassified 152 Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) iv ACKNOWLEDGMENT This report represents a revision, update, and consolidation of two draft documents originally prepared for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration by Dr. Alfred J. Farina of Safety Consulting Services. v TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 1 Purpose and Scope of the Report................................................................................................ 1 Organization................................................................................................................................ 1 Current Crash Data ..................................................................................................................... 1 Document Availability................................................................................................................ 1 PROGRAM STRUCTURE AND PHILOSOPHY......................................................................... 3 CRASH TYPING RESEARCH...................................................................................................... 4 A Behavioral Approach to Pedestrian Safety ............................................................................. 4 A Behavioral Approach to Bicyclist Safety................................................................................ 8 NHTSA RESEARCH THROUGH THE DECADES................................................................... 12 The 1970s.................................................................................................................................. 12 Problem Identification .......................................................................................................... 12 Countermeasure Development and Evaluation..................................................................... 13 The 1980s.................................................................................................................................. 18 Problem Identification .......................................................................................................... 18 Countermeasure Development.............................................................................................. 18 Countermeasure Evaluation.................................................................................................. 20 The 1990s.................................................................................................................................. 22 Problem Identification .......................................................................................................... 22 Countermeasure Development.............................................................................................. 23 Countermeasure Evaluation.................................................................................................. 23 Program Material .................................................................................................................. 24 The 2000s.................................................................................................................................. 26 Products in 2007........................................................................................................................ 27 DISCUSSION............................................................................................................................... 30 Problem Identification .............................................................................................................. 30 Countermeasure Development.................................................................................................. 31 Evaluation ................................................................................................................................. 31 Remaining Issues ...................................................................................................................... 31 Future Crash Reduction Efforts ................................................................................................ 32 APPENDIX A – SUMMARIES OF NHTSA PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLIST SAFETY RESEARCH PROJECTS.................................................................................................. 34 PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION............................................................................................... 35 Urban Pedestrian Crashes ..................................................................................................... 35 Rural/Suburban Pedestrian Crashes...................................................................................... 38 Bicycle Crashes..................................................................................................................... 39 1990s Pedestrian and Bicycle Update................................................................................... 42 TECHNOLOGY / TOOLS ....................................................................................................... 43 PROGRAM REVIEWS AND SYNTHESIS............................................................................ 56 PUBLIC AWARENESS........................................................................................................... 62 CONSPICUITY / VISIBILITY ................................................................................................ 63 COUNTERMEASURES .......................................................................................................... 66 Integrated .............................................................................................................................. 66 Training................................................................................................................................. 67 Messages............................................................................................................................... 71 Regulations ..........................................................................................................................