In areas with few streetlights, drivers are more than three times as likely to yield to pedestrians at illuminated crosswalks than at dark ones, a new study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has shown.
The research also found at lighted crosswalks that also include flashing yellow warning beacons, drivers are more than 13 times as likely to yield.
“These results show that simple changes can have a dramatic impact on pedestrian safety,” said IIHS President David Harkey. “When drivers are yielding, pedestrians aren’t dying.”
The IIHS said 75 per cent of the 7,522 pedestrians who died in motor vehicle crashes in 2022 were killed in the dark, suggesting that improved lighting could help stem the rising tide of pedestrian fatalities.
To help identify the most effective interventions, researchers from IIHS and Western Michigan University compared the effects of different crosswalk lighting systems at two T intersections, a four-way intersection and a midblock location in Kalamazoo, Michigan. None of the locations had a stop sign or traffic signal.
Researchers found that any type of added lighting or flashing beacons improved yielding at the three dark locations. However, yielding was highest with the combination of flashers and triggered crosswalk lighting.
“These results show that crosswalk lighting and flashing beacons make pedestrians substantially safer in poorly lit areas,” said study author Wen Hu, IIHS senior research transportation engineer. “Along with lower speed limits and road designs that discourage speeding, these simple solutions have the potential to reduce pedestrian injuries and fatalities.”
