Behavioral analysis of vehicle-pedestrian interactions in Iran

Statistics upon injured and killed pedestrian accidents in recent years expresses a high vulnerability of this group of road users. By identifying influential factors on the interactions of pedestrians-vehicles and representing appropriate solutions to reduce the impact of these factors, the possibility of such interactions and consequently, the relative accidents can be reduced. In present research, based on naturalistic driving studies (NDS), the driving behavior of 29 drivers of vehicles was investigated. 289 vehicle-pedestrian interactions in the local urban routes of Babol City in Mazandaran, Iran at the traffic peak hours were determined. By analyzing the interactions using the DREAM method (Driving Reliability and Error Analysis Method), the risk factors were identified and two causal patterns were determined for pedestrian crossings and places lacking pedestrian crossings. Drivers talking to passengers and listening to music were among the factors influencing occurrence of interactions at pedestrian crossings. Unexpected behaviors by pedestrians while crossing (such as sudden running, crossing careless of the traffic flow, and crossing without obtaining the permission from the vehicle driver) played a substantial role in occurrence of interactions in places without pedestrian crossings. Finally, some solutions were proposed for reducing the chances of occurrence of interactions.