Rivara 1989 - “Analysis of Fatal Pedestrian Injuries in King County, WA and Prospects for Prevention”

Rivara FP, Reay DT, Bergman AB.
“Analysis of Fatal Pedestrian Injuries in King County, WA and Prospects for Prevention”
Public Health Reports
May-June 1989; v.104, n.3; pp.293-297.
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The authors analyzed pedestrian fatalities for 12 months in King County, WA.  They found that victims were generally children (29%), the elderly (34%), or intoxicated adults (24%).

Of the 38 pedestrian deaths that occurred between April 1, 1985 and March 31, 1986:

• 33 (87%) involved pedestrians who were not in prime condition
  
  • 29% children (11), 64% of whom were inadequately supervised
  • 34% elderly (13)
  • 24% intoxicated adults, none elderly (9)

This means that only 13% (5) of the victims were sober adults in their prime, so walking is not as dangerous as general statistics suggest.

The author also notes that:

• 39% of time the driver was at fault: 7 children, 5 adults, and 3 elderly persons .
• 16% victims were struck in marked crosswalks (6)
• 74% were struck on major arterials (28)
• 16% on residential streets (6)
• 11% of the deaths are properly classified as non-traffic fatalities (4), such as being run over by a vehicle in a parking lot or driveway.

Author Notes:
The elderly often died not from the accident alone but from the combination of trauma with pre-existing chronic conditions.

Other studies indicated that marked crosswalks offer no protection and may increase risk because they give pedestrians a false sense of security and drivers frequently fail to stop at them.  Another study found that the adoption of “right-on-red” laws resulted in a 57% overall increase in pedestrian-vehicle collisions, and an increase of 79% in urban areas.

A study of drivers involved in fatal collisions found that they had as many speeding convictions before and after the collision, indicating that it may be difficult to change their behavior.  However, better enforcement of pedestrian right-of-way may be an alternative.  In Seattle during 1985, there were 8,081 citations for jaywalking but only 563 citations to drivers for failure to yield to pedestrians.