Evaluation of Miami–Dade Pedestrian Safety Demonstration Project

crashes, but subsequent studies extended the methodology to rural and freeway crashes (3). From this research evolved the basic pedestrian crash typology, which remains a cornerstone of much of NHTSA’s pedestrian safety activity, as well as that of FHWA. Crash types describe behaviorally similar precrash actions that lead to characteristic pedestrian–motor vehicle collisions. For example, precrash actions may include “the pedestrian walked or ran into the roadway,” “the pedestrian was struck at an unsignalized intersection or midblock location; either the motorist or the pedestrian may have failed to yield,” or “the pedestrian was attempting to cross a roadway and was struck by a vehicle that was turning right or left.” The aim in typing crashes is to gain a better understanding of underlying factors and causes so that appropriate countermeasures can be developed. The Pedestrian and Bicycle Crash Analysis Tool (PBCAT, v. 2.0), an automated typing software program developed for FHWA, includes 56 distinct pedestrian and bicycle crash types, which may be classed into 16 groups (4). During the late 1990s, NHTSA also developed the concept of pedestrian safety zones, to focus improvements where the problem is greatest. By concentrating efforts where the majority of the problem or the target audience exists, funds are used more efficiently and activities that would be prohibitively expensive if applied to an entire community can be applied for the greatest benefit on a smaller scale. For example, in Phoenix, Arizona, six circular zones and one linear zone were identified that accounted for 54.9% of the city’s older adult crash problem in about 4.6% of the land area (5). The intent of this demonstration project was to extend application of the pedestrian safety zone approach to a large urban area and document and evaluate the process so that it could be replicated in other metropolitan areas with high numbers of pedestrian crashes. The project draws heavily upon previous NHTSA and FHWA research to identify and evaluate countermeasures for improving pedestrian safety (aimed at both pedestrians and motorists) and applies this knowledge on a broad scale to produce tangible, communitywide safety benefits.