Location
UNLV SEB Lobby & Auditorium
Start Date
26-4-2013 9:30 AM
End Date
26-4-2013 3:00 PM
Description
In 2010, 806 crashes involving pedestrians occurred in Nevada; 36 were fatalities and 796 were injuries. Although numerous pedestrian safety countermeasures exist in Las Vegas, NV it was ranked as the 6th most dangerous large metropolitan area in the U.S. So, additional and more effective safety countermeasures were required to reduce pedestrian crashes in Las Vegas. High-intensity Activated crossWalK (HAWK) signal has been identified as a potential mechanism to reduce crashes. This study evaluates the effectiveness of such signal installed at E. Sahara Avenue, Las Vegas. Data was collected from videos captured by two cameras facing eastbound and westbound for two weeks; one week each for before and after operation of the signal. Statistical analyses (descriptive analysis and t-test) were performed considering different performance measures such as pedestrian waiting time at the curb. On an average, jaywalking occurrences dropped significantly from 32.6% to 8.2% and the total crossing time decreased by 5.3 seconds. In addition, motorist compliance, yielding to pedestrians attempting to cross the street, improved with 6.9% fewer non-yielding vehicles.
Keywords
Nevada – Las Vegas; Pedestrian accidents – Prevention; Pedestrian crosswalks; Traffic fatalities – Prevention; Traffic signs and signals
Disciplines
Transportation
Language
English
Effects on compliance of a HAWK signal in Las Vegas
UNLV SEB Lobby & Auditorium
In 2010, 806 crashes involving pedestrians occurred in Nevada; 36 were fatalities and 796 were injuries. Although numerous pedestrian safety countermeasures exist in Las Vegas, NV it was ranked as the 6th most dangerous large metropolitan area in the U.S. So, additional and more effective safety countermeasures were required to reduce pedestrian crashes in Las Vegas. High-intensity Activated crossWalK (HAWK) signal has been identified as a potential mechanism to reduce crashes. This study evaluates the effectiveness of such signal installed at E. Sahara Avenue, Las Vegas. Data was collected from videos captured by two cameras facing eastbound and westbound for two weeks; one week each for before and after operation of the signal. Statistical analyses (descriptive analysis and t-test) were performed considering different performance measures such as pedestrian waiting time at the curb. On an average, jaywalking occurrences dropped significantly from 32.6% to 8.2% and the total crossing time decreased by 5.3 seconds. In addition, motorist compliance, yielding to pedestrians attempting to cross the street, improved with 6.9% fewer non-yielding vehicles.