70 % ITARDA. Nighttime fatal accidents involving senior pedestrians. 65 yrs old and over. of pedestrians killed are seniors (65 and over) 1.

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1 ITARDA Institute for Traffic Accident Research and Data Analysis ( 財 ) 交通事故総合分析センター ITARDA INFORMATION No FEBRUARY 65 yrs old and over 1,22 Fatalities 1,2 1, % of pedestrians killed are seniors (65 and over) Nighttime accident rate is 1.8 times higher than daytime 5 59 yrs old yrs old 125 Nighttime Daytime yrs old yrs old yrs old yrs old 3 15 yrs old and under 41 Number of pedestrian deaths by age group (29) Special feature Nighttime fatal accidents involving senior pedestrians

2 ITARDA Institute for Traffic Accident Research and Data Analysis INFORMATION 財団法人交通事故総合分析センター 87 イタルダインフォメーション 211 FEBRUARY No. Special feature Nighttime fatal accidents involving senior pedestrians 死者数 ( 人 ) 1,2 1, 歩行中死者の 7% が高齢者 (65 歳以上 ) 歳 22 人歳 3 人 15 歳以下 41 人 3 39 歳 57 人 4 49 歳 81 人夜間の発生が昼間の約歳 159 人倍 6 64 歳 125 人 65 歳以上 1,22 人夜間昼間年齢層別歩行中死者数 ( 平成 21 年 ) The total death toll of traffic accidents has been steadily decreasing thanks to the efforts of both public and private sectors to introduce more effective safety measures, such as tougher penalties for serious offenses by amending the Road Traffic Act, the promotion of safety education, improvements in road traffic environment, and a review of vehicle safety standards. While there has been a remarkable decline in the number of deaths of drivers/riders, however, only a slight decline has been achieved in the number of those killed while walking, with senior pedestrians aged 65 and older in particular constituting a remarkably large group. In 29, about 25%, or one in four, of all traffic fatalities was made up of senior pedestrians, with 1,22 deaths. Given this downward trend in the number of traffic fatalities, why are elderly people much more likely to be killed while walking? Based on our consolidated database for traffic accidents, our analysis has revealed that many of them are typically involved in traffic accidents while crossing the road at nighttime. In this issue of ITARDA Information we also examined the effect of reflectors for pedestrians, which are expected to reduce nighttime fatal accidents involving the elderly. Reflectors have not been so widely used so far, but we expect people of all ages, not just the elderly, to use reflectors, which are shown to be highly effective in preventing nighttime traffic accidents. CONTENTS Characteristics of fatal accidents involving senior pedestrians Analysis of the most typical accident type Effect and effectiveness of reflectors Conclusion 2 ITARDA INFORMATION 87

3 特集夜間の高齢歩行者死亡事故 SECTION 1 Characteristics of fatal accidents involving senior pedestrians (1) A quarter of all traffic fatalities are senior pedestrians The 4,914 fatalities in all traffic accidents in 29 are broken down in Table 1 and Fig. 1 by age group and means of transportation. The noticeably high number of 1,22 people aged 65 and older were shown to be killed in traffic accidents while walking, accounting for the largest 25% in the total death toll. In traffic accident statistics, pedestrians aged 65 and older are referred to as senior pedestrians. Specific preventive measures must be urgently sought for this most vulnerable group. Table 1: Number of fatalities by age group and means of transportation (29) Age group Car Motorcycle Moped Bicycle Walking Others Total 15 and under and over , and over , ,452 Total 1, , ,914 1,4 1,2 1, 1, Traffic accident fatalities in 29: 4, Senior pedestrians (65 and over) account for 25% of all fatalities Fatalities Means of transportation Walking Bicycle Moped Motorcycle Car 65 and over Age group and under Fig. 1: Number of fatalities by age group and means of transportation (29) 87 ITARDA INFORMATION 3

4 特集夜間の高齢歩行者死亡事故 (2) The accidents more frequently occur between 5 pm and 8 pm Let s compare the incidence of fatal traffic accidents involving senior pedestrians in the daytime with those that happen at nighttime. Of the 1,22 senior pedestrians killed in traffic accidents in 29, as shown in Fig. 2, as many as 772 were involved in nighttime accidents, about 1.8 times higher than the daytime number. Looking at the time of the nighttime accidents, shown in Fig. 3, more than half (53.9%), or 416 senior pedestrians were killed in a three-hour period between 5 pm and 8 pm. The age group also shows a high fatality rate at nighttime, but there is no specific period of time when a remarkably high number of accidents occur; the accidents occur fairly evenly from sunset to sunrise in this age group. From this, it can be concluded that fatal accidents involving senior pedestrians are much more likely to occur at nighttime from 5 pm, or shortly after sunset, until 8 pm. Pedestrians killed in traffic accidents in 29: 1,717 Fatalities and under and over 772 Daytime Nighttime fatal accident rate is 1.8 times higher than the daytime rate for senior pedestrians Nighttime (Note) Daytime refers to the time from sunrise to sunset. Nighttime refers to the time from sunset to sunrise. Sunrise and sunset times are those provided by the Japan Meteorological Agency. Fig. 2: Number of pedestrian fatalities by daytime/nighttime (29) Pedestrians (65 and over) killed at nighttime in 29: 772 Accidents more frequently occur between 5 pm, shortly after sunset, and 8 pm Fatalities and over Fig. 3: Number of nighttime pedestrian fatalities by time of accident (29) 4 ITARDA INFORMATION 87

5 (3) A third of the accidents occur on stretches of road where there is no intersection or crosswalk Let s examine how senior pedestrians are involved in nighttime traffic accidents. Of the 772 senior pedestrians killed in traffic accidents at nighttime, 249 (32.3%) were involved while crossing the road where there was no intersection, without using a crosswalk, as shown in Fig. 4. In other words, a third of the senior pedestrians involved in fatal traffic accidents were crossing a section of road where there were no intersections or corners (hereafter referred to as a non-intersection location ), without using a crosswalk. Furthermore, the vast majority of them were hit by four-wheeled vehicles (cars), with a proportion of 95.6% being involved in this type of accident, as shown in Fig. 5. It can be summarized, therefore, that the most typical case is one in which a senior pedestrian is hit by a car at nighttime while crossing the road at a non-intersection location, without using a crosswalk. Pedestrians (65 and over) killed at nighttime in 29: 772 Pedestrians (65 and over) killed while crossing the road at a nonintersection location without a crosswalk, at nighttime in 29: 249 Others Motorcycles Cars.8% 3.6% % % % 7 9.1% % % Percentage % Non-intersection location (without using a crosswalk) Intersection without traffic lights (without using a crosswalk) Near intersection without traffic lights (without using a crosswalk) Intersection with traffic lights (without using a crosswalk) Non-intersection location (hit from behind) Others A third of pedestrians were involved in accidents while crossing the road at a non-intersection location without a crosswalk, at nighttime Approx. 96% were killed by cars Fig. 4: Number of nighttime senior pedestrian fatalities by location of accident (29) Fig. 5: Number of nighttime senior pedestrians killed by a vehicle while crossing the road at a non-intersection location without a crosswalk (29) 87 ITARDA INFORMATION 5

6 特集夜間の高齢歩行者死亡事故 SECTION 2 Analysis of the most typical accident type (1) Many of the accidents are caused by traffic violations Of all the senior pedestrians killed by cars at nighttime while crossing the road at a nonintersection location without using a crosswalk, the 236 victims who were confirmed to have committed or not committed a violation of traffic rules are shown in Fig. 6 according to the type of violation. This reveals that 79.7% of them were committing some kind of traffic violation at the time of the accident, namely Crossed road right in front of / right behind a moving car (36.9%), Crossed road without using a crosswalk (23.7%), Crossed road diagonally (6.4%), Crossed road where crossing is prohibited (2.5%), and Other violations (1.2%). We usually focus on the driver s fault when a traffic accident happens, but there are many cases that could have been prevented if the pedestrians had crossed the road in accordance with traffic rules. It is essential for all pedestrians, not only the elderly, to observe traffic rules to avoid an accident. In addition to obeying traffic lights and road signs, it is vital that pedestrians look left and right before crossing the road, and use a crosswalk if there is one nearby. Furthermore, they must not cross the road diagonally, nor must they cross the road where crossing is prohibited. Drivers must always keep in mind the high risk of hitting a senior pedestrian crossing the road at nighttime, and always check to see if there is anyone crossing the road from either the left or right. Pedestrians (65 and over) killed by cars while crossing the road at a non-intersection location without a crosswalk, at nighttime in 29 (primary and secondary parties): 236 Crossed road where crossing is prohibited Crossed road right in front of / right behind a moving car 3.% 17.4% Do not cross the road at places where crossing is forbidden by signs, etc. Crossed road diagonally 1.2% 2.5% 6.4% 23.7% 36.9% Do not cross the road right in front of / right behind a moving car. Crossed road without using a crosswalk Do not cross the road diagonally. Crossed road right in front of / right behind a moving car Crossed road without using a crosswalk Crossed road diagonally Crossed road where crossing is prohibited Other violations No violations Unknown Do not cross the road without using a crosswalk if there is one nearby. Fig. 6: Rate of senior pedestrians killed by cars while crossing the road at a non-intersection location without a crosswalk, at nighttime, by type of traffic violation (29) 6 ITARDA INFORMATION 87

(2) Pedestrians are often not seen or noticed by drivers at nighttime The 238 senior pedestrians killed by cars at nighttime while crossing the road at a nonintersection location without using a

7 (2) Pedestrians are often not seen or noticed by drivers at nighttime The 238 senior pedestrians killed by cars at nighttime while crossing the road at a nonintersection location without using a crosswalk are classified in Fig. 7 based on the type of driver error. We can see that about 9% of the accidents were caused by a delay in noticing the pedestrian crossing the road. The direct cause of the delay was mainly negligence on the part of the driver, such as failure to look ahead carefully by taking their eyes off the road, and inattentive driving due to distracting thoughts etc. However, it is also true that drivers have difficulty in noticing pedestrians crossing the road at nighttime. In particular, pedestrians wearing darker clothes are more likely to not be seen and be involved in accidents. We conducted an experiment to see how the color of clothes affects driver s visibility, as shown in Photo 1, with one person wearing a white jacket and another one dressed in black. When we shone a car s headlights on them, on low beam, from a distance of about 4 meters, the person wearing a white jacket was much more conspicuous and visible from afar, in contrast to the one dressed in black who was hardly visible. From this, it is clearly dangerous to cross the road at nighttime in dark clothes which are difficult for drivers to see. Dressing in brightly-colored clothing such as white or yellow can help drivers see you in the dark. Pedestrians (65 and over) killed by cars while crossing the road at a non-intersection location without a crosswalk, at nighttime in 29: 238 Driver errors Errors of judgment Delay in spotting the pedestrian.8% 7.6% In white jacket In dark clothes Percentage % Photo 1: A pedestrian in dark clothes is difficult to see, even at a distance of 4 meters from the driver 2 1 About 9% of accidents were caused by delays in spotting the pedestrian Fig. 7: Rate of senior pedestrians killed by cars while crossing the road at a nonintersection location without a crosswalk, at nighttime, by driver error (29) 87 ITARDA INFORMATION 7

8 特集夜間の高齢歩行者死亡事故 (3) Pedestrians are more likely to be hit on the far side of the road Let s look into the nighttime accidents more closely to find out if senior pedestrians crossing a road are hit on the near side or the far side of the road. Of the above stated 238 victims, a large proportion of these 71.8% in fact were hit by a car in the far lane, i.e. by a car coming from the left, as shown in Fig. 8. This tendency is also seen in the age group 16 64, but is not as marked as that seen with seniors. To avoid being involved in an accident while crossing a road, it is vital to check that it s safe to cross by looking left and right. The aforementioned data shows the tendency of senior pedestrians not to look properly to their left when checking whether it s safe to cross. Moreover, there may be cases in which a pedestrian has made sure that there are no cars coming from the left before crossing the road, but is then hit by a car in the far lane coming from a distance outside their field of vision. If you make sure that it s safe to cross, assuming that there won t be any cars coming toward you, and start to cross the road only looking ahead or looking down at your feet, you may fail to notice a car approaching from a distance and this in turn may lead to an accident. This can be avoided by carefully checking the road twice, both before and as you cross it. Pedestrians (65 and over) killed by cars while crossing the road at a nonintersection location without a crosswalk, at nighttime in 29: % 2.5% Others In the near lane In the far lane % 25.6% Hit in the near lane Percentage % 71.8% Hit in the far lane yrs old 65 yrs old and over Approx. 7% were hit on the far side of the road (Note) Hit in the near lane refers to cases in which the pedestrian was hit by a car coming from the right. Hit in the far lane refers to cases in which the pedestrian was hit by a car coming from the left. Fig. 8: Rate of senior pedestrians killed by cars while crossing the road at a nonintersection location without a crosswalk, at nighttime, by near/far lane (29) 8 ITARDA INFORMATION 87

9 (4) Pedestrians misjudge the distance to the oncoming car In the type of accident in question, there were some cases in which a senior pedestrian saw a car coming from the left but continued to cross the road, resulting in a fatal accident. This may firstly be attributable to the driver s failure to spot the pedestrian earlier, but secondly to the pedestrian s inability to correctly judge the distance to, or the speed of, the oncoming car. So, what is the safe distance to keep between a pedestrian crossing the road and an oncoming car from the left/right? Assuming a senior pedestrian s average walking speed to be 1 m/s, for a 1-meterwide road it would take them 5 seconds to reach the middle of the road and 1 seconds to finish crossing, as described in Fig. 9. If the vehicle speed is 6 km/h, a distance of at least 1 meters to the car from the right and at least 2 meters to the car from the left would be needed to ensure safety. Most pedestrians can, however, only see the headlamps of oncoming cars at nighttime, making it quite difficult to correctly judge the distance to them, or how fast they are traveling. Because of their lower ability to see and judge distances/speed, senior pedestrians often overestimate the distance to a car that is actually closer than they think. You should wait for the oncoming car to pass, rather than trying to cross the road before it, and start crossing after making sure the road is safe again. 6 km/h (16.7 m/s) About 1 seconds About 1 seconds At least about 2 m About 5 seconds At least about 1 m 1m 6 km/h Senior pedestrian Average walking speed of 1 m/s Fig. 9: Correlation between the time required for senior pedestrians to cross the road and the safe distance to an oncoming car 87 ITARDA INFORMATION 9

10 特集夜間の高齢歩行者死亡事故 SECTION 3 Effect and effectiveness of reflectors (1) Effect of wearing reflectors Reflectors have proved effective in preventing traffic accidents at nighttime. As shown in Photo 2, a car s headlamps on low beam were shone from a distance of 4 meters on two pedestrians in dark clothes, only one of whom wore reflectors, to see how they appeared from the driver s point of view. The reflectors used were of a mass-produced wristband type. The person with reflectors on their wrists and ankles was very conspicuous and easy to spot from far away, whereas the driver could hardly see the one without reflectors. To examine the effect of reflectors on the prevention of nighttime accidents, let s look at Fig. 1 which compares the extent to which reflectors were used by pedestrians killed in crashes and pedestrians in general, from the survey on the use of reflectors conducted by the Japan Traffic Safety Association. About 1 out of 1 pedestrians in general (1.3%) wore reflectors, compared to 1 to 3 out of 1 pedestrians (1.7 to 2.6%) involved in fatal accidents. If reflectors had no preventive effect, the rates of the latter ought to have been similar to that of the former, but the actual rates were much lower. This suggests that wearing reflectors is effective in attracting drivers attention and thus reducing the possibility of being hit. Rate of reflector use (%) = Number of pedestrian fatalities wearing reflectors at nighttime Number of all pedestrian fatalities at nighttime 1 With reflectors Without reflectors Reflectors reduce the occurrence of accidents Photo 2: A pedestrian wearing reflectors is easy for drivers to see Rate of reflector use (%) Rate of reflector use by pedestrians in general (Note) and over Age of pedestrian fatalities Accidents involved while crossing the road at a non-intersection location without a crosswalk All types of accident Fig. 1: Rate of reflector use among pedestrian fatalities at nighttime (27 29) (Note) From the survey on the use of reflectors conducted by the Japan Traffic Safety Association in January 21 ( To avoid being involved in traffic accidents while walking at night by Shigetsugu Kohata, Hito-to-Kuruma Vol. 11, 21) 1 ITARDA INFORMATION 87

11 (2) Effect of reflectors at the time of crossing the road Though reflectors are not always effective in every type of accident, the effect of reflectors has been proved, particularly in terms of the prevention of accidents occurring while crossing the road at a non-intersection location without a crosswalk (Photo 3). As can be seen in Fig. 1, the reflector use rate of 2.5 or 2.6% for those killed in every type of accident drops to 1.7 or 2.% for those killed while crossing the road at a non-intersection location without using a crosswalk. This shows the positive effect of reflectors in this type of accident. Reflectors may be less effective on the right-hand side of the driver s front view since headlamp beams do not fully illuminate that area. Even so, the driver can recognize the presence of a pedestrian wearing reflectors from a distance more than twice as far away as a pedestrian without reflectors, as described in Fig. 11. Reflectors can greatly contribute to preventing the kind of accidents caused by a delay in the driver spotting a pedestrian. Photo 3: Reflectors are highly effective in preventing accidents involving pedestrians crossing the road at nighttime Time of experiment: 18:3 to 22: Subjects: drivers aged between 3 and 64 Width of 6 meters Distance at which the driver spotted the pedestrian Reflectors on arms and ankles Reflectors on arms 41.7m 5.1m No reflectors 17.8m Reflectors help the driver spot a pedestrian from a distance more than twice as far away Fig. 11: Distance at which the driver can spot a pedestrian waiting on the right-hand side to cross the road at nighttime (average) From the Journal of the International Association of Traffic and Safety Sciences Vol. 33, No. 1, issued in April 28, Effects of retro-reflective materials on recognition of pedestrian and pedestrian accidents at night by Mitsui, Mori and Namikawa 87 ITARDA INFORMATION 11

12 --SECTION 4 Conclusion (1) Accidents occur more frequently between 5 pm and 8 pm (2) There are many cases in which senior pedestrians are hit by a car while crossing the road at a non-intersection location, without using a crosswalk (3) The major violations of traffic rules committed by senior pedestrians include: - passing right in front of or right behind a car - crossing a road without using a crosswalk - crossing a road diagonally - crossing a road where crossing is prohibited (4) The most typical cause of accidents on the part of the driver is delay in spotting a pedestrian crossing the road (5) Senior pedestrians are more likely to be hit on the far side of the road than shortly after they start crossing ル5 階[Characteristics of nighttime fatal accidents involving senior pedestrians] Institute for Traffic Accident Research and Data Analysis ITARDA INFORMATION イタルダインフォメーションつくば交通事故調査事務所 211 FEBRUARY [Precautions for drivers] (1) Keep in mind the high incidence of fatal accidents involving senior pedestrians crossing the road at nighttime (2) Turn on your headlamps early around sunset time (dusk) (3) Always pay attention to your full field of vision, especially the right-hand side where it tends to be difficult to notice a pedestrian crossing the road 87 発発行月行(財)交通事故総合分析センター平成23 年2 月 1283東[Precautions for senior pedestrians] (1) Wear reflectors or brightly-colored clothes at nighttime (2) Observe the following rules when crossing the road: - Look left and right before crossing the road, and do not start crossing if a vehicle is coming - Double check that it s safe to cross the road as you cross it, and turn back if it seems dangerous - Always use a crosswalk if there is one nearby - Do not cross the road where crossing is not allowed - Do not cross the road diagonally 京都千代田区麹町66麹町東急ビS 事務局東京都千代田区麹町 6-6 麹町東急ビル 5 階 TEL FAX 茨城県つくば市西大橋 ( 財 ) 日本自動車研究所内 TEL FAX

Traffic Safety in Japan

Traffic Safety in Japan National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management (NILIM) Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), JAPAN Contents 1. History of Road Safety in Japan