SafeTREC

Each year from 1998 to 2007, an average of approximately 4,800 pedestrians were killed and 71,000 pedestrians were injured in United States traffic crashes. Because many pedestrian crashes occur at roadway intersections, it is important to understand the intersection characteristics that are associated with pedestrian crash risk. This study uses detailed pedestrian crash data and pedestrian volume estimates to analyze pedestrian crash risk at 81 intersections along arterial and collector roadways in Alameda County, California. The analysis compares pedestrian crash rates (crashes per 10,...

Bicycle volume data are useful to practitioners and researchers to understand safety, travel behavior, and development impacts. This paper describes the methodology used to develop several simple models of bicycle intersection volumes in Alameda County, California. The models are based on two-hour bicycle counts performed at a sample of 81 intersections in the Spring of 2008 and 2009. Study sites represented areas with a wide range of population density, employment density, proximity to commercial property, neighborhood income, and street network characteristics. The explanatory variables...

In the US, speed limit setting (SLS) has historically relied on driver-behavior-based approaches, such as using the 85th percentile speed. While these approaches are considered objective and allow for consistent application, they have significant limitations, including drivers’ tendencies to underestimate their speeds, the phenomenon of speed creep, and inadequate consideration of vulnerable road users. These issues may conflict with the Safe System Approach and Vision Zero initiatives endorsed by the USDOT (US Department of Transportation). In contrast, context-sensitive approaches...

Traffic stops are one of the most common ways in which the American public interacts with police. Although one of the leading reasons given for police traffic stops is a violation of the vehicle code, there is limited and mixed research on the impact of traditional police traffic enforcement on traffic safety outcomes. At present, few large data resources with an appropriate level of detail exist to facilitate investigations of this type. The 2015 Racial and Identity Profiling Act (RIPA) requires all law enforcement agencies in California to collect and submit vehicle (including bicycle)...