New Risk Management Study Findings Recently Were Reported by Researchers at University of British Columbia (Evaluating the impact of connectivity,…

New Risk Management Study Findings Recently Were Reported by Researchers at University of British Columbia (Evaluating the impact of connectivity, continuity, and topography of sidewalk network on pedestrian safety)

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Weekly News -- Current study results on Risk Management have been published. According to news reporting originating from Vancouver, Canada, by VerticalNews correspondents, research stated, "With the increasing demand for sustainability, walking is being encouraged as one of the main active modes of transportation. However, pedestrians are vulnerable to severe injuries when involved in crashes which can discourage road users from walking."

Our news editors obtained a quote from the research from the University of British Columbia, "Therefore, studying factors that affect the safety of pedestrians is important. This paper investigates the relationship between pedestrian-motorist crashes and various sidewalk network indicators in the city of Vancouver. The goal is to assess the impact of network connectivity, directness, and topography on pedestrian safety using macro-level collision prediction models. The models were developed using generalized linear regression and full Bayesian techniques. Both walking trips and vehicle kilometers travelled were used as the main traffic exposure variables in the models. The safety models supported the safety in numbers hypothesis showing a non-linear positive association between pedestrian-motorist crashes and the increase in walking trips and vehicle traffic. The model results also suggested that higher continuity, linearity, coverage, and slope of sidewalk networks were associated with lower crash occurrence. However, network connectivity was associated with higher crash occurrence. The spatial effects were accounted for in the full Bayes models and were found significant."

According to the news editors, the research concluded: "The models provide insights about the factors that influence pedestrian safety and the spatial variability of pedestrian crashes within a city, which can be useful for the planning of pedestrian networks."

For more information on this research see: Evaluating the impact of connectivity, continuity, and topography of sidewalk network on pedestrian safety. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 2017;107():117-125. Accident Analysis and Prevention can be contacted at: Pergamon-Elsevier Science Ltd, The Boulevard, Langford Lane, Kidlington, Oxford OX5 1GB, England. (Elsevier - www.elsevier.com; Accident Analysis and Prevention - www.journals.elsevier.com/accident-analysis-and-prevention/)

The news editors report that additional information may be obtained by contacting A. Osama, University of British Columbia, Dept. of Civil Engn, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2017.08.001. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

Keywords for this news article include: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, North and Central America, Risk Management, University of British Columbia.

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