Safety

Association Between Roadway Intersection Characteristics and Pedestrian Crash Risk in Alameda County, California

Schneider, Robert J.
Diogenes, Mara Chagas
Arnold, Lindsay S.
Attaset, Vanvisa
Julia Griswold
Ragland, David R.
2010

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,...

Factors Associated with Hit-and-Run Pedestrian Fatalities and Driver Identification

MacLeod, Kara E.
Julia Griswold
Arnold, Lindsay S.
Ragland, David R.
2010

Because hit-and-run crashes account for a significant share of pedestrian fatalities, a better understanding of these crashes will assist efforts to reduce pedestrian fatalities. Of the more than 48,000 pedestrian deaths that were recorded in the United States between 1998 and 2007 (Fatality Accident Reporting System [FARS]), 18.1% of them were the victims of hit-and-run crashes, and the percentage of fatal pedestrian hit-and-runs has been rising as the number of all pedestrian fatalities has decreased. Using FARS data on single pedestrian fatal victim crashes between 1998-2007, logistic...

Visual Assessment of Pedestrian Crashes

Julia Griswold
Fishbain, Barak
Washington, Simon
Ragland, David R.
2011

Of the numerous factors that play a role in fatal pedestrian collisions, the time of day, day of the week, and time of year can be significant determinants. More than 60% of all pedestrian collisions in 2007 occurred at night, despite the presumed decrease in both pedestrian and automobile exposure during the night. Although this trend is partially explained by factors such as fatigue and alcohol consumption, prior analysis of the Fatality Analysis Reporting System database suggests that pedestrian fatalities increase as light decreases after controlling for other factors. This study...

Pilot Models for Estimating Bicycle Intersection Volumes

Julia Griswold
Medury, Aditya
Schneider, Robert J.
2011

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...

On the Legal Deterrence of Pedestrian Hit-and-Run Collisions

Grembek, Offer
Julia Griswold
2012

Hit-and-run collisions—those in which a driver involved in the collision leaves the scene before the arrival of law enforcement officials—are a unique type of traffic violation because the driver's decision is a question of damage control rather than damage prevention. To reduce hitand-run violations, individual state laws impose legal sanctions to deter drivers from leaving the collision scene prematurely. Deterrence Theory dictates that compliance with laws is associated with the certainty, severity, and swiftness of punishment. The purpose of this study is to explore the deterrent...

Pedestrian Safety Improvement Program

Grembek, Offer
Bosman, Crakg
Bigham, John M.
Fine, Sara
Julia Griswold
Medury, Aditya
Sanders, Rebecca L.
Schneider, Robert J.
Yavari, Afsaneh
Zhang, Yuanyuan
Ragland, David R.
2014

The Pedestrian Safety Improvement Program is an effort of the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to identify and address systemic problems with regard to pedestrian safety in California, with the long-term goal of substantially reducing pedestrian fatalities and injuries in California. The efforts and findings presented in this report reflect the work of a team of experts in transportation engineering, transportation planning, public health, geographic information systems, and urban design from the UC Berkeley Safe Transportation Research & Education Center.

Limitations of Data on Cell Phone Involvement in Collisions: A Case Study of California

Julia Griswold
Grembek, Offer
2014

With the increasing prevalence of mobile technology and high-profile crashes bringing attention to distracted driving, data on cell phone involvement in collisions is critical for understanding the extent of the problem, examining the effectiveness of policies, and developing interventions to improve safety. Some limitations of existing data have been previously identified, but this paper examines the specific case of California’s collision data. Temporal, geographic, and jurisdictional trends are analyzed to identify the source and type of inconsistencies in the cell phone involvement...

Pedestrian Safety Improvement Program: Phase 2

Julia Griswold
Medury, Aditya
Huang, Louis
Amos, David
Lu, Jiajian
Schneider, Robert
Grembek, Offer
University of California, Berkeley
2018

The Pedestrian Safety Improvement Program is an effort of the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to identify and address problems with regard to pedestrian safety in California, with the long-term goal of substantially reducing pedestrian fatalities and injuries in California. The efforts and findings presented in this report reflect the work of a team of experts in transportation engineering, transportation planning, public health, geographic information systems, and urban design from the UC Berkeley Safe Transportation Research & Education Center. In particular,...

Development of Crash Reduction Factors for Bicycle-Related Safety Countermeasures

Grembeck, Offer
Julia Griswold
University of California, Berkeley
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Highway Safety Research Center
2019

Developing quality California-specific crash modification factors (CMFs) for bicycle-related safety countermeasures will support practitioners in making more informed decisions about infrastructure improvement projects. The researchers identified a comprehensive list of countermeasures, identified existing CMFs and reviewed their quality and applicability to California, determined key bicycle injury and fatality crash patterns in the state, prioritized potential bicycle safety countermeasures for study, and identified potential study sites. The results show there is limited availability of...

Developing a Safe System Approach to Setting Speed Limits

Julia Griswold
Lutzker, Liza
Fournier, Nicholas
Grembek, Offer
Fox, Jenn
Shahum, Leah
University of California, Berkeley
Vision Zero Network
2023

Over the last decade in California there has been a surge in the number of traffic fatalities, with especially large increases in pedestrian fatalities. At the same time, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has affirmed a vision of reaching zero fatalities and serious injuries on state highways by 2050 and has committed the department to reaching this goal by adopting the Safe System Approach. The Safe System Approach is underpinned by the principles that humans make mistakes and that the transportation system should be designed to account for the human body’s ability to...