Too posh to push? No?
How about too rich to brake?
Poor pedestrians!
Road safety and awareness is crucial for pedestrians and drivers alike, particularly when it comes to crossing the road. Yet not everyone is made equal so understanding the decisions and interactions that occur between driver and pedestrian is crucial for public health and safety.
Coughenour et al. (2020) examined driver yielding rates at a midblock crosswalk in Las Vegas. Their results reveal worrying tendencies for road safety based on both the identity of the driver and the pedestrian.
Drivers of more expensive cars were less likely to stop for pedestrians at cross walks, with yielding decreasing by 3% for each $1,000 increase in car cost. The identity of the pedestrian mattered too – cars yielded more frequently for women and white pedestrians compared to males and non-white pedestrians.
Perhaps most worryingly of all, only 28% of drivers actually yielded to pedestrians at the crosswalks, despite being legally obliged to do so.
Original research: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2020.100831
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