Human Impact Partners Evidence Base
Articles in Vehicle volume predicts pedestrian collisions and injuries.
Risk of injury of child pedestrians in a study in New Zealand was 14 times greater than at least busy sites. An another study, some of the same authors showed a 6.3 times greater risk, but measurements of volume differed.
Roberts I, Marshall R, Lee-Joe T. 1995. The urban traffic environment and the risk of child pedestrian injury: a case-cross over approach. Epidemiology 6:169-171.
Roberts I, Norton R, Jackson R, Dunn R, Hassall I. 1995. Effect of environmental factors on risk of injury of child pedestrians by motor vehicles: a case-control study. British Medical Journal 310(6972):91-94.The magnitude of effect of vehicle volume on injuries is significant. For example, in a study of nine intersections in Boston’s Chinatown, researchers calculated an increase in 3-5 injuries per year for each increase in 1000 vehicles.
Brugge D, Lai Z Hill C, Rand W. Traffic injury data, policy, and public health: lessons from Boston Chinatown. Journal of Urban Health 2002; 79: 87-103.
A study in San Francisco confirmed that higher rates of traffic flow showed higher rates of pedestrian injury.
LaScala EA, Gerber D, Gruenewald PJ. 2000. Demographic and environmental correlates of pedestrian injury collisions: a spatial analysis. Accident Analysis and Prevention 32:651-658.
In Australia, a 1995 study showed that at intersections with higher traffic volume, the risk of pedestrian injury was 2.16 times greater than intersections with low traffic volume.
Stevenson MR, Jamrozik KD, Spittle J. 1995. A case-control study of traffic risk factors and child pedestrian injury. International Journal of Epidemiology 24:957-964.
A study published in the British Medical Journal found that the risk of injury to child pedestrians is strongly associated with traffic volume. Risk of injury at sites with highest traffic volumes was 13 times greater than that at the least busy sites.
Ewing R, Frank L, Kreutzer R. Understanding the Relationship between Public Health and the Built Environment: A Report to the LEED-ND Core Committee. 2006.
There is a statistically significant relationship between traffic volume and the number of vehicle collisions involving a pedestrian.
Moudon, AV et al. Pedestrian safety and transit corridors. Research Report, Agreement T2695, Task 10, Pedestrian Safety. 2003.
Jackson, R. and Kochtitzky. Creating a healthy environment. Sprawl Watch Clearinghouse Monograph, Washington, D.C. 2001. (http://www.sprawlwatch.org).
Lee C, Abdel-Aty M. Comprehensive analysis of vehicle-pedestrian crashed at intersections in Florida. Accident Analysis and Prevention 2005; 37: 775-786.