Name of project: A study of the perception of selected types of pedestrian crossings by motor vehicle drivers
Researcher FEM: PhDr. Pavla Rymešová, Ph.D.
Budget (CZU): 1.848.240 CZK
Budget (FEM): 369.648 CZK
Project Duration: 2019 – 2021
Grant: TACR - ETA programme
Project number: TL02000461
Contact: PhDr. Pavla Rymešová, Ph.D.
Despite unquestionable progress and developments in the field of active and passive road safety, unnecessarily large numbers of people are still dying on the roads. Pedestrians are a large and at the same time very vulnerable group that is endangered by road traffic. Pedestrian crosswalks should be a safe corridor that (under legal conditions) will allow the world of pedestrians and motorists to live symbiotically. Nevertheless, a significant percentage of pedestrians die at crossings. This project compares how the driver of a motor vehicle in reduced visibility (for this research, specifically in the dark) perceives a pedestrian crossing marked by vertical and horizontal traffic signs, while the horizontal signage (so-called "zebra") is supplemented by highlighting optical elements (see TP 217) for example signaling the entry of a pedestrian onto the road, with a crossing, which is marked only by classic horizontal and vertical traffic signs. The framework of the project is also about whether we can mark the changes (or to what extent) in a driver's perception of a crossing marked only by traffic signs (without highlighting) immediately after the driver has passed over the pedestrian crossing, where highlighting elements were used as traffic signs. This finding should enable public authorities to improve their decision-making process when approving modifications that lead to the highlighting of some pedestrian crossings so that, at the same time, increasing the safety at one crosswalk doesn’t increase the dangers at another crossing. The findings are intended for use in the methodological instruction of the Ministry of Transport of the Czech Republic to state administration bodies that initiate or approve these changes.
