Drivers’ risk perception of roadside trees

ABSTRACT

Roadside trees can help calm traffic, define roadways, and reduce driver stress. However, roadside trees are also one of the most common components of urban infrastructure involved in single-vehicle crashes. The authors used conjoint analysis to assess driver perceptions of risk associated with roadside trees, road geometry, vehicle speed, and lighting conditions. Florida drivers were shown videos depicting street scenes with randomised variations of these four attributes and were asked to rate their perceived risk. Results indicate that drivers perceived trees in close proximity to roadways as increasing risk and night-time conditions with supplemental lighting as slightly reducing risk. Overall, lighting condition was the most important attribute driving risk ratings, followed (in order of importance) by car speed, tree proximity, and road geometry.

KEYWORDS:

• Tree hazards
• single-vehicle collisions
• urban forestry
• roadside trees
• transportation

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jeffrey Van Treese

Jeffery W. Van Treese II, PhD, JD, is an academy instructor with the Palm Beach County School District and adjunct professor at Florida Atlantic University.

Andrew Koeser, PhD, is an assistant professor of Environmental Horticulture and Landscape management at the University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Gulf Coast Research and Education Center.

Michael T. Olexa, PhD, JD is a professor and director of the University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Center for Agricultural and Natural Resource Law.

George Fitzpatrick, PhD is a professor emeritus at the University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center.

Ethan J. Allen is the library director at the John D. MacArthur Campus of Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, Florida. His research interests focus on information seeking behaviours of graduate and doctoral students.