title: The risk of pedestrian injury and fatality in collisions with motor vehicles, a social ecological study of state routes and city streets in King County, Washington.
abstract: This study examined the correlates of injury severity using police records of pedestrian-motor-vehicle collisions on state routes and city streets in King County, Washington. Levels of influence on collision outcome considered (1) the characteristics of individual pedestrians and drivers and their actions; (2) the road environment; and (3) the neighborhood environment. Binary logistic regressions served to estimate the risk of a pedestrian being severely injured or dying versus suffering minor or no injury. Significant individual-level influences on injury severity were confirmed for both types of roads: pedestrians being older or younger; the vehicle moving straight on the roadway. New variables associated with increased risk of severe injury or death included: having more than two pedestrians involved in a collision; and on city streets, the driver being inebriated. Road intersection design was significant only in the state route models, with pedestrians crossing at intersections without signals increasing the risk of being injured or dying. Adjusting for pedestrians' and drivers' characteristics and actions, neighborhood medium home values and higher residential densities increased the risk of injury or death. No other road or neighborhood environment variable remained significant, suggesting that pedestrians were not safer in areas with high pedestrian activity.
authors.affiliation: Urban Design & Planning, Landscape Architecture, University of Washington, 410 Gould Hall, Box 355740, Seattle, WA 98195, United States. moudon@u.washington.edu
authors.forename: Anne Vernez
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Moudon
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Junfeng
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jiao
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hurvitz
authors.forename: Paula
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Reeves
mesh_terms: D000054:Acceleration; D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000401:mortality* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000435:Alcoholic Intoxication / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control; D002423:Cause of Death; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002958:City Planning; D004779:Environment Design; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015233:Models, Statistical; D018986:Motor Vehicles; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012307:Risk Factors; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016138:Walking / Q000293:injuries*; D014861:Washington; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000401:mortality* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D055815:Young Adult