HD32 - Pedestrian Safety Laws
Executive Summary: During its 1989 session, the Virginia General Assembly passed House Joint resolution No. 419. The Resolution requested the Transportation Safety Administration of the Department of Motor Vehicles "to study Virginia's pedestrian safety laws and to recommend appropriate revisions of those laws to improve pedestrian safety." Pedestrian/motor vehicle crash data for the period from 1986 through 1988 were obtained and analyzed. During these 3 years, 389 pedestrians were killed and 6,540 were injured. Pedestrians accounted for over 12 percent of the fatalities and nearly 3 percent of the injuries resulting from motor vehicle crashes. Data related to nine pedestrian, vehicle, and roadway crash characteristics were obtained to determine their level and frequency in pedestrian/motor vehicle crashes. After a preliminary review of the data, it was determined that only an analysis of pedestrian age, crash location, vehicle maneuver, driver action, and pedestrian action would provide information useful in detailing pedestrian/motor vehicle safety problems that might be resolved by changes to the Code of Virginia. The analysis of the data identified specific pedestrian, location, and driver/vehicle characteristics associated with pedestrian/motor vehicle crashes. The pedestrian age data show that nearly 90 percent of those killed and 78 percent of those injured were over 9 years old. When pedestrians were involved in a crash, not using crosswalks when crossing the roadway, walking along the roadway, or standing/lying/working in the roadway were the most frequent pedestrian actions recorded. Nearly 55 percent of the pedestrians killed and 83 percent of those injured were killed or injured in business and residential areas. Hit-and-run, speed limit violations, inattention, and avoiding maneuvers were the primary driver actions when drivers were cited for violations. The vehicle was going straight ahead in over 70 percent of the cases when a pedestrian was killed or injured. The Code of Virginia was analyzed as it applies to the rights, duties, and responsibilities of both pedestrians and motorists and as it addresses the pedestrian crash problem. It was found that the Code does not address several problem situations and deals inadequately with others. The following changes are suggested to Chapter 8 of the Code: • adding six definitions • clarifying pedestrian right of way in crosswalks • requiring drivers to yield to pedestrians on sidewalks • requiring pedestrian obedience to traffic control devices • prohibiting passing a loading or unloading bus on the right • prohibiting certain pedestrian actions at railroad crossings • regulating pedestrian crossing behavior at locations other than crosswalks • regulating pedestrian use of the highways • detailing pedestrian response to emergency vehicles • requiring both motorists and pedestrians to use due care The attached report is organized into four sections: (1) the introduction, purpose, and method; (2) the analysis of Virginia crash data; (3) a discussion of changes in the Code to improve pedestrian safety; and (4) the specific proposed changes to the Code. |
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