What Does The Car You Drive Say About Your Manners?
R.
Marsh Starks/UNLV Creative Services
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| CCA leader and former Charlestown Town Council President Tom Gentz driving one of several Porsche sports cars |
Drivers
on a whole aren’t all that great at stopping for pedestrians waiting at
crosswalks: Of 461 cars that researchers examined, only 28 percent yielded.
But the cost of the car was a significant predictor of driver yielding, with the odds that they’ll stop decreasing by 3 percent per $1,000 increase in the car’s value.
Researchers estimated the cost of each car using pricing categories from Kelley Blue Book.
But the cost of the car was a significant predictor of driver yielding, with the odds that they’ll stop decreasing by 3 percent per $1,000 increase in the car’s value.
Researchers estimated the cost of each car using pricing categories from Kelley Blue Book.
“It
says that pedestrians are facing some challenges when it comes to safety, and
it’s really concerning,” said lead author and UNLV public health
professor Courtney Coughenour.
“Drivers
need to be made aware that they legally have to yield. It’s hard to say whether
they’re not yielding because they don’t know the laws or because they don’t
want to yield,” Coughenour said.
“Further study is needed to examine that. Until then, the bigger thing is driver education.”
“Further study is needed to examine that. Until then, the bigger thing is driver education.”
The
study, which analyzed video data from an earlier UNLV study, also found that
motorists overall yielded less frequently for men and people of color waiting
at mid-block crosswalks than for women and whites.
It is also consistent with findings from similar studies on the topics of driver yielding behaviors associated with social class, race, and gender.
It is also consistent with findings from similar studies on the topics of driver yielding behaviors associated with social class, race, and gender.
The
research team said their findings are important to public health, given that
the survivability for pedestrians is low even when they're struck by vehicles
at low speeds.
According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, the average risk of severe injury for a pedestrian struck by a vehicle reaches 10 percent at an impact speed of 16 mph, 25 percent at 23 mph, 50 percent at 31 mph, 75 percent at 39 mph, and 90 percent at 46 mph.
According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, the average risk of severe injury for a pedestrian struck by a vehicle reaches 10 percent at an impact speed of 16 mph, 25 percent at 23 mph, 50 percent at 31 mph, 75 percent at 39 mph, and 90 percent at 46 mph.
Publication Details
“Estimated car cost as a predictor of driver yielding
behaviors for pedestrians” appeared in the March 2020 issue of Journal
of Transport & Health.