TITLE:
The Influence of Road Users’ Behaviors on Pedestrian Safety in Urban Built Environment
AUTHORS:
Paulo Kitosi
KEYWORDS:
Road Users, Pedestrian Safety, Pedestrian Behaviour, Legal Enforcement and Road Accidents
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Access Library Journal,
Vol.10 No.5,
May
31,
2023
ABSTRACT: Road accidents remain a complex challenge in most urban areas. Most roads in urban areas are characterized by mixed traffic conditions which increases the traffic conflicts in urban areas. This paper attempts to explore the influence or relationship of different road users to the occurrence of road accidents in urban built environments. One of the important components for pedestrian safety in urban roads is the existing level of legal enforcement in urban built environments. A case study strategy was employed where different methods of data collection were used. In this study, multiple tools and methods of data collection were used in the collection of different data such as interviews and observation. The interview included closed and open-ended questions to pedestrians in urban areas, and other road users including drivers within the case study. Also, questionnaires and checklists, the questionnaires were used specifically for individuals in households while the checklists were used to collect data from the key informants including the traffic police officer. Physical observation and photo-taking were used to collect data on the behavior of road users on the roads in relation to existing regulations. The majority of road accidents involving pedestrians and other traffic have a relationship with the violation of road traffic regulations. The behaviors of Road users such as careless drivers, wrong overtaking, overspeeding, careless motorcyclists, failure to follow traffic lights, pedestrian crossing in restricted areas, failure to observe traffic signs, and others while using roads increase the risk of pedestrian involvement in road accidents. This paper concludes that most road accidents for pedestrians are the result of conflict or collision with other road users due to unacceptable behaviors of road users which increases the risk of accidents for pedestrians and other road users. The paper also concludes that the violation of regulations by different road users impacted the safety of pedestrians.