TY - JOUR
T1 - Knowledge and Beliefs About Pedestrian Safety in an Urban Community
T2 - Implications for Promoting Safe Walking
AU - Nesoff, Elizabeth D.
AU - Pollack Porter, Keshia M.
AU - Bailey, Maryanne
AU - Gielen, Andrea C.
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors would like to thank the Maryland Highway Safety Office (MHSO), Johns Hopkins University, and the Baltimore Metropolitan Council (BMC) for providing funding and resources. Additional thanks are extended to survey participants; Bala Akundi at BMC; Ernie Lehr at MHSO; Mark Beisser, graphics designer from the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs; Sue Baker, Eileen McDonald, Jim Williams, Nasir Mohd Ismail, Basant Motawi, and Xia Ma from the Johns Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy.
Funding Information:
Funding Funding for this work was made possible through multiple sources: Maryland Highway Safety Office; the Johns Hopkins University; and a Grant from the National Center for Injury Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Grant Number 1R49CE002466).
Funding Information:
Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank the Maryland Highway Safety Office (MHSO), Johns Hopkins University, and the Baltimore Metropolitan Council (BMC) for providing funding and resources. Additional thanks are extended to survey participants; Bala Akundi at BMC; Ernie Lehr at MHSO; Mark Beisser, graphics designer from the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs; Sue Baker, Eileen McDonald, Jim Williams, Nasir Mohd Ismail, Bas-ant Motawi, and Xia Ma from the Johns Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.
PY - 2019/2/15
Y1 - 2019/2/15
N2 - As more people walk for transport and exercise, it is possible to avoid a concomitant increase in the number of pedestrian injuries. Understanding how the public views pedestrian safety can help inform the development of prevention strategies that support national efforts to promote walking and walkable communities. As part of the formative research for a community pedestrian safety health promotion campaign, we administered an online questionnaire to employees and students at a large urban medical campus, along with residents in the neighboring communities, to determine their knowledge, attitudes, and behavior regarding pedestrian safety; awareness of relevant traffic safety laws; and effective strategies that could improve pedestrian safety. Pearson Chi square Test of Independence was used to investigate differences between individuals who mainly traveled as drivers versus those who mainly traveled as pedestrians. Statistical significance was established at p <.05. A total of 3808 adults completed the online survey. More drivers than pedestrians reported that pedestrian safety was an important problem (73 and 64%, respectively; p <.001). A large proportion of respondents incorrectly reported the existing state laws addressing right of way, fines, and enforcement, with significant differences between drivers and pedestrians (p <.001). Significantly more pedestrians than drivers supported changing traffic signals to increase crossing time (p =.001), while more drivers than pedestrians supported creating structures to prevent midblock crossing (p =.003). Effective interventions to improve pedestrian safety need to tailor messages for both drivers and pedestrians, increase awareness of the laws, and implement comprehensive strategies.
AB - As more people walk for transport and exercise, it is possible to avoid a concomitant increase in the number of pedestrian injuries. Understanding how the public views pedestrian safety can help inform the development of prevention strategies that support national efforts to promote walking and walkable communities. As part of the formative research for a community pedestrian safety health promotion campaign, we administered an online questionnaire to employees and students at a large urban medical campus, along with residents in the neighboring communities, to determine their knowledge, attitudes, and behavior regarding pedestrian safety; awareness of relevant traffic safety laws; and effective strategies that could improve pedestrian safety. Pearson Chi square Test of Independence was used to investigate differences between individuals who mainly traveled as drivers versus those who mainly traveled as pedestrians. Statistical significance was established at p <.05. A total of 3808 adults completed the online survey. More drivers than pedestrians reported that pedestrian safety was an important problem (73 and 64%, respectively; p <.001). A large proportion of respondents incorrectly reported the existing state laws addressing right of way, fines, and enforcement, with significant differences between drivers and pedestrians (p <.001). Significantly more pedestrians than drivers supported changing traffic signals to increase crossing time (p =.001), while more drivers than pedestrians supported creating structures to prevent midblock crossing (p =.003). Effective interventions to improve pedestrian safety need to tailor messages for both drivers and pedestrians, increase awareness of the laws, and implement comprehensive strategies.
KW - Formative research
KW - Health communication
KW - Health promotion
KW - Injury prevention
KW - Pedestrian safety
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85050597272&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s10900-018-0559-0
DO - 10.1007/s10900-018-0559-0
M3 - Article
C2 - 30043196
AN - SCOPUS:85050597272
SN - 0094-5145
VL - 44
SP - 103
EP - 111
JO - Journal of Community Health
JF - Journal of Community Health
IS - 1
ER -