Discussions were held with researchers and practitioners in the U.S. Additional countries represented in the research articles included Australia, Germany, The Netherlands, Greece, Norway, Sweden, Japan, Jordan, and Kuwait. Foreign sources included individual authors and research organizations in Canada, Great Britain, France, Denmark, Austria, Finland, and South Africa. included the Transportation Research Board (TRB), the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and researchers and traffic engineering practitioners. Articles were sought from libraries, authors, and publishers. Over 600 potentially relevant references were identified. Third, to synthesize these results into recommendations for countermeasure programs to be tested in this country.Īmerican and international literature related to vehicle speeds and crash results and to speed reduction and control strategies was reviewed. Second, to describe techniques that have been used for reducing vehicle speeds and review their effectiveness. First, to reaffirm and quantify the relationship between vehicle speeds and pedestrian crash severities through literature review and data analysis. While posted speeds are not necessarily the same as travel speeds or impact speeds, the data clearly suggest a strong relationship between higher vehicle speed and the greater severity of resulting personal injury. This ratio varied substantially as a function of posted speed limits, from 57.1 injuries per fatality on roadways with posted limits of 25 miles per hour or less to just 0.3 injuries per fatality for posted speed limits of 60 mph or higher. during 1995, there were about 84,000 pedestrian injuries and 5,585 pedestrian fatalities (NHTSA, 1996), for an overall ratio of 15.0 injured pedestrians for every fatality. Injury severity Traffic calmingĞngineeringįorm DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed page authorized Comprehensive community-based speed reduction programs, combining public information and education, enforcement, and roadway engineering, are recommended. Countermeasures include road humps, roundabouts, other horizontal traffic deflections (e.g., chicanes), and increased use of stop signs. More long-lasting speed reductions in neighborhoods where vehicles and pedestrians commonly share the roadway can be achieved through engineering approaches generally known as traffic calming. Reductions in vehicle travel speeds can be achieved through lowered speed limits, police enforcement of speed limits, and associated public information. This compares with fatality rates of 40, 80, and nearly 100 percent for striking speeds of 30, 40, and 50 miles per hour or more respectively. It was estimated that only 5 percent of pedestrians would die when struck by a vehicle traveling at 20 miles per hour or less. Results indicated that higher vehicle speeds are strongly associated with both a greater likelihood of pedestrian crash occurrence and more serious resulting pedestrian injury. The relationship between vehicle travel speeds and resulting pedestrian injury was reviewed in the literature and in existing data sets. The Contracting Officer's Technical Representatives for this project were Dr. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Literature Review on Vehicle Travel Speeds and Pedestrian Injuriesĩ.