Victoria Gitelman

An evaluation of crosswalk warning systems: effects on pedestrian and vehicle behaviour

Abstract A field experiment with a new type of uncontrolled pedestrian crossing is presented. The type includes a system for detecting pedestrians near the crosswalk zone and for warning drivers on pedestrian presence, by means of flashing lights embedded in the pavement adjacent to a marked crossing. To evaluate the effects of the device on pedestrian and vehicle behaviours, two variants of the device were installed at four urban locations. The findings are that, under certain conditions, the device can bring about a decrease of 2–5 kph in average vehicle speeds, near the crosswalk zone; an increase in the rate of giving way to pedestrians (e.g. doubling the rate of giving way to a pedestrian, in the situations of beginning a crossing, to some 40%); a significant reduction in vehicle–pedestrian conflicts in the crosswalk zone––to a rate of

Characterization of pedestrian accidents and an examination of infrastructure measures to improve pedestrian safety in Israel

The high share of pedestrian fatalities in Israel provided the impetus for this study which looked for infrastructure solutions to improve pedestrian safety. First, a detailed analysis of pedestrian accidents in 2006-2007, with an emphasis on the infrastructure characteristics involved, was performed; it found that 75% of the fatalities and 95% of the injuries occurred in urban areas, the majority of cases occurring on road sections (not at junctions). About 80% of the accidents took place when a pedestrian crossed the road, the majority of them at non-crosswalk locations or at non-signalized crosswalks. International comparisons showed that the characteristics of fatal pedestrian accidents in Israel were similar to the average pedestrian accident in Europe in terms of accident location, time, and the demographic characteristics of the victims. A typology of pedestrian fatalities in Israel was built for the years 2003-2006; it demonstrated a high share of accidents at these locations: in Jewish or mixed-population towns-not at pedestrian crossings on urban street sections, and both at pedestrian crossings and not at pedestrian crossings at urban junctions; in Arab towns; and on dual-carriageway rural roads. Second, based on a literature study, a summary of about 60 pedestrian-safety-related measures was developed. Third, to diagnose the infrastructure characteristics and deficiencies associated with pedestrian accidents, detailed field studies were carried out at 95 urban locations. A major finding revealed that more than 80% of the sites with a high concentration of pedestrian-vehicle accidents in Israel were situated on arterial multi-lane streets belonging to city centers, where on a micro-level there were no indications of major deficiencies in the basic design elements of most sites. Finally, cross-checking of the safety problems identified and the infrastructure solutions available provided lists of measures recommended for application at various types of sites. It was concluded that in order to generate a significant change in the state of pedestrian injury in Israel, a move from spot treatment to a systemic treatment of the problem is required. A systemic inquiry and the transformation of the urban road network should be performed in order to diminish the areas of vehicle-pedestrian conflicts and to significantly reduce vehicle speeds in areas of pedestrian presence and activity.

The evaluation of road-rail crossing safety with limited accident statistics

Safety evaluation is an essential issue in ranking road-rail crossings as candidates for grade-separation. Many small countries like Israel do not possess sufficient data to generate statistical models similar to the US DOT accident prediction formula or others. At the same time, it is desirable to provide estimates stemming from local conditions. For these, available Israeli accident data were artificially enlarged using the unification of accident statistics and information from crossings functioning over a six-year period. A hazard index serves as a basic evaluation tool. The datasets on accidents and crossings are split according to several crossing characteristics (category of warning device, volume of vehicle traffic, volume of train traffic, visibility conditions); the obtained values are combined to supply safety estimates for crossing types defined by these characteristics. The validity of model performance is explored. For Israeli conditions the model provides for a safety evaluation of 168 crossing types. This presents a sufficient base from which to estimate the accident potential of any local crossing when the need for its grade separation is discussed.

Mapping patterns of pedestrian fatal accidents in Israel

This study intends to provide insight into pedestrian accidents by uncovering their patterns in order to design preventive measures and to allocate resources for identified problems. Kohonen neural networks are applied to a database of pedestrian fatal accidents occurred during the four-year period between 2003 and 2006. Results show the existence of five pedestrian accident patterns: (i) elderly pedestrians crossing on crosswalks mostly far from intersections in metropolitan areas; (ii) pedestrians crossing suddenly or from hidden places and colliding with two-wheel vehicles on urban road sections; (iii) male pedestrians crossing at night and being hit by four-wheel vehicles on rural road sections; (iv) young male pedestrians crossing at night wide road sections in both urban and rural areas; (v) children and teenagers crossing road sections in small rural communities. From the perspective of preventive measures, results suggest the necessity of designing education and information campaigns for road users as well as allocating resources for infrastructural interventions and law enforcement in order to address the identified major problems.

Road safety performance indicators for the interurban road network

Various road safety performance indicators (SPIs) have been proposed for different road safety research areas, mainly as regards driver behaviour (e.g. seat belt use, alcohol, drugs, etc.) and vehicles (e.g. passive safety); however, no SPIs for the road network and design have been developed. The objective of this research is the development of an SPI for the road network, to be used as a benchmark for cross-region comparisons. The developed SPI essentially makes a comparison of the existing road network to the theoretically required one, defined as one which meets some minimum requirements with respect to road safety. This paper presents a theoretical concept for the determination of this SPI as well as a translation of this theory into a practical method. Also, the method is applied in a number of pilot countries namely the Netherlands, Portugal, Greece and Israel. The results show that the SPI could be efficiently calculated in all countries, despite some differences in the data sources. In general, the calculated overall SPI scores were realistic and ranged from 81 to 94%, with the exception of Greece where the SPI was relatively lower (67%). However, the SPI should be considered as a first attempt to determine the safety level of the road network. The proposed method has some limitations and could be further improved. The paper presents directions for further research to further develop the SPI.

Free-Flow Travel Speed Analysis and Monitoring at the National Level Using Global Positioning System Measurements

Among the main factors affecting road crash injuries, speed is considered as a leading cause and contributing factor. There are numerous studies linking travel speeds and road crashes. Hence, an essential part of road safety plans and interventions is devoted to speed management. However, to manage speed, actual travel speeds have to be systematically and consistently monitored and analyzed. In this study, a system for the collection and analysis of free-flow travel speeds on the road network is presented, enabling speed monitoring at the nationwide level. The paper focuses on the collection and analysis of travel speeds on different road sections. Using the information gathered through advanced technologies combined with geographical information systems, a comprehensive speed database in space and time is provided allowing visual presentation and comparison of the results. This analysis can identify the road sections with significant excesses of travel speeds relative to the speed limits. It can also serve as a baseline to evaluate the impact of various counter-measures employed to reduce speeds.

The relationship between social capital and traffic law violations: Israeli Arabs as a case study

Social aspects of a community may be correlated with drivers involvement in road traffic accidents. This study focused on examining this association in the context of the social capital theory. A survey of 600 Arab drivers living in 19 towns and villages was conducted using a face-to-face interview. Structural equation modeling was applied to explore paths of associations between the model components. Most of the proposed relationships in the path model were found to be significant, where the model explained 37% of the variation. The results indicate that only volunteering and reciprocity have direct correlations with traffic law violations. While the other correlations (except political involvement), were mediated by attitudes toward traffic laws violation. Hence, it can be concluded that it is not always possible to generalize the positive mechanisms of the social capital theory, and in certain populations such as the Arab minority it can give undesirable results.

Testing a Framework for the Efficiency Assessment of Road Safety Measures

Abstract The objective of this research is to develop and test a framework for efficiency assessment of road safety measures and evaluate its use in decision‐making. An exhaustive review of standard methodologies and practices related to cost‐effectiveness and cost–benefit analyses is carried out for that purpose. Moreover, a number of case studies are performed, concerning the efficiency assessment of various road safety measures in different countries, covering different types of road safety measures (user‐, vehicle‐ or infrastructure‐oriented, policy or enforcement, etc.), ranging from national to local levels of implementation and including both ex ante and ex post evaluations. From the results conclusions are drawn on the efficiency of different road safety measures and the related determinants. Furthermore, the case studies reveal a number of methodology and data issues for which further research is required. The procedures and barriers involved in the use of efficiency assessment techniques at different levels of decision‐making are also highlighted by means of feedback received during and after the various case studies. On the basis of these results, a framework for the promotion, implementation and evaluation of efficiency assessment in road safety decision‐making is proposed. A particular set of recommendations is also presented regarding the treatment of barriers (fundamental, institutional or technical) within the efficiency assessment itself and the related decision‐making process.

Development of Evaluation Tools for Road-Rail Crossing Consideration for Grade Separation

A program for expansion of Israeli railways has resulted in increased train speeds and frequencies on the most heavily used railway lines. These are situated in highly populated regions and are characterized by a significant amount of at-grade road-rail crossings. At-grade crossings present a barrier to road traffic and the danger of train-vehicle collisions. Because the current maximum train speed is about 120 km/hr, there was no clear policy concerning the need and the priority for grade separation at crossings. Simplified tools for rapid crossing evaluation when a crossing potential for grade separation is reviewed were developed. The evaluation tools include a criterion for preliminary crossing qualification and a formula for approximate evaluation of economic losses caused by at-grade crossing functioning. The field measurements and detailed investigation of the 31 most problematic locations provided a basis for building the tools. Two main factors leading to grade separation were considered: safety problems at the crossings and road vehicle delay costs. As demonstrated, the cost of accident risk at Israeli crossings does not significantly affect their ranking for grade separation. In consequence, the crossing parameters influence vehicle delays that constitute the basis for the simplified tools for preliminary crossing evaluation in Israel.

Pattern Recognition and Classification of Fatal Traffic Accidents in Israel: A Neural Network Approach

This article provides a broad picture of fatal traffic accidents in Israel to answer an increasing need of addressing compelling problems, designing preventive measures, and targeting specific population groups with the objective of reducing the number of traffic fatalities. The analysis focuses on 1,793 fatal traffic accidents occurred during the period between 2003 and 2006 and applies Kohonen and feed-forward back-propagation neural networks with the objective of extracting from the data typical patterns and relevant factors. Kohonen neural networks reveal five compelling accident patterns: (1) single-vehicle accidents of young drivers, (2) multiple-vehicle accidents between young drivers, (3) accidents involving motorcyclists or cyclists, (4) accidents where elderly pedestrians crossed in urban areas, and (5) accidents where children and teenagers cross major roads in small urban areas. Feed-forward back-propagation neural networks indicate that sociodemographic characteristics of drivers and victims, accident location, and period of the day are extremely relevant factors. Accident patterns suggest that countermeasures are necessary for identified problems concerning mainly vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and young drivers. A “safe-system” integrating a system approach for the design of countermeasures and a monitoring process of performance indicators might address the priorities highlighted by the neural networks.