Pedestrian risky behavior and safety at zebra crossings in a Ghanaian metropolitan area

Abstract

Objective: This article assesses pedestrian behavior and safety at zebra crossings in the Cape Coast Metropolis.

Method: A mix of a naturalistic exploratory and descriptive study was conducted using both primary and secondary data. The primary data included an observational study of over 6,000 pedestrians using zebra crossings in the metropolis. The secondary data were obtained from the national road traffic crashes (RTCs) database at the Building and Road Research Institute covering information on pedestrian crashes between 2007 and 2016 in the metropolis. Analyses were conducted using frequencies and percentages with Pearson’s chi-square correlation used to establish the relationship between independent and dependent variables.

Results: The findings showed that the majority of the 328 pedestrian crashes between 2007 and 2016 resulted in either fatalities or serious injuries and occurred at locations away from a junction. Most of the pedestrians observed used the zebra crossing were alone and engaged in talking or using mobile phone. Age group, pedestrian status, and the location of the zebra crossings influenced pedestrians’ risky behaviors.

Conclusion: The majority of the pedestrian crashes in the metropolis resulted in injuries resulting in hospitalization or fatalities and occurred at a midblock. Pedestrians largely exhibited risky behaviors predisposing the occurrence of RTCs at zebra crossings despite the fact that they are a pedestrian right-of-way. There is therefore the need for the National Road Safety Commission to carry out campaigns to educate pedestrians on the safer use of zebra crossings.

Keywords:

• Pedestrian crashes
• zebra crossing
• metropolis
• risky behavior
• Cape Coast