Using License Manuals To Increase Awareness About Pedestrian Hazards at Intersections. Missed Opportunity for Educating Drivers

Motor vehicle crashes result in approximately 90,000 pedestrian injuries and 5,000 pedestrian deaths in the United States each year. Of these, 34 percent of the injuries and 18 percent of the deaths occur at intersec- tions. In a recent study, around 5,000 pedestrian-motor vehicle crashes were coded in a population-based sample drawn from California, Florida, Maryland, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Utah. About 1,630 (32.6 per- cent) of these incidents occurred at intersections, with turning vehicles responsible for 30.4 percent of the incidents and another 15.9 percent due to driver violations. Along with enforcement and engineering, quality edu- cation can be very important in improving driver behavior and providing a better understanding of the vulnerability of pedestrians. State driver- licensing manuals can play a key role. Well-written, well-illustrated infor- mation on pedestrian conflicts associated with different traffic regulations and controls at intersections and on the potential hazards for pedestrians associated with driver violations, along with statistics, would encourage drivers to modify their behaviors. Better manuals are becoming increas- ingly important with the gradual phasing out of driver education at schools. The present level of information disseminated by 32 states and the District of Columbia was reviewed and found to be insufficient in these regards, needing significant improvements. Recommendations are offered on ways to improve the quality of information.