The answer appears to be yes, at least for an older adult who is crossing the street at an intersection that lacks a traffic signal or stop sign, according to researchers at the Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center. "Crosswalk Markings and the Risk of Pedestrian-Motor-Vehicle Collisions in Older Pedestrians" will be published in the Nov. 6 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
While crosswalks where a traffic light or stop sign is present are generally safe places for pedestrians to cross, older adults face a 3.6 times greater risk of injury when walking in marked crosswalks at intersections that lack these signals to motorists. Dr. Thomas Koepsell, a University of Washington (UW) professor of epidemiology, was the study's principal investigator.
"Older adults have the highest pedestrian mortality rates of any age group, including young children," Koepsell explains. "They tend to have slower walking speeds, so crossing the street takes more time and involves more exposure to traffic. They're also less agile, so they're less likely to be able to jump out of the way of an oncoming vehicle."
Koepsell and fellow researchers worked with traffic authorities in six cities (Seattle, Tacoma, Everett and Bellevue, Wash.; and Long Beach and West Los Angeles, Calif.) to collect data over a four-year period. They identified 282 episodes in which a pedestrian over 65-years-old was struck by a motor vehicle while crossing the street at an intersection. Field workers determined if a crosswalk was present as well as other data about the site, including the presence of a traffic signal or stop sign.
"A lot can go wrong when a pedestrian tries to cross the street where there is no signal or stop sign," Koepsell explains. "A driver is legally required to stop for a pedestrian in a crosswalk, but this doesn't always happen. Yet the pedestrian may assume it's safe to cross."
The presence of several lanes of traffic complicates the situation, as does turning traffic. The pedestrian may behave more defensively by waiting for big gaps in traffic, but older pedestrians, who walk more slowly, need more time to cross. Older adults are also more likely to have difficulty judging how large a gap in traffic they need.
"Putting a marked crosswalk at a certain location basically sends a message to two parties," Koepsell says. "It tells the pedestrian that this is a safe place to cross. The marked crosswalk also tells the driver to be cautious, because pedestrians may be crossing the street here. But that message doesn't always register with the driver."
The researchers hope that traffic engineers will use the study results to assess the possible effects of crosswalk markings on the safety of a vulnerable group of pedestrians – older adults. More crosswalks may not be better, when there are no traffic signals or stop signs to halt traffic.
For older pedestrians, the message is that a marked crosswalk doesn't necessarily identify a safe place to cross. When possible, they should cross where there's a signal or sign. If they do need to cross a street where there's free-flowing traffic, they'd be wise to use special caution – and not place too much reliance on a marked crosswalk to protect them.
In addition to Koepsell, the investigators were Dr. Lon McCloskey, formerly of the Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center; Marsha Wolf, Ph.D., formerly of the Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center; Anne Vernez Moudon, Dr. es Sc., a UW professor of architecture and urban design & planning; Dr. David Buchner of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Jess Kraus, Ph.D., of the Southern California Injury Prevention and Research Center; and Matthew Patterson of the Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center.
Journal
JAMA