Citation

Retting RA. J. Saf. Res. 1993; 24(4): 195-203.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1993, U.S. National Safety Council, Publisher Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Crashes between pedestrians and large trucks, which were fatal to the pedestrians and occurred during 1986-90 in four cities, were studied using Fatal Accident Reporting System (FARS) data. Comparisons were made with similar fatal crashes between pedestrians and vehicles other than large trucks. Data for truck crashes were supplemented with narratives and diagrams from police reports to develop a crash typology. Pedestrian fatalities in crashes with trucks were more likely than those involving other vehicles to occur at intersections, at traffic signals, during daylight hours, and to involve older pedestrians. Fifty-one percent of pedestrians killed in collisions with trucks were over the age of 60, compared with 37% killed in collisions with other vehicles. Obstruction of truck driver visibility, caused by the design of truck cabs, appears to be a major contributing factor in crashes at intersections. The data suggest that greater emphasis should be placed on separating pedestrians and trucks at intersections and on designing truck cabs to improve driver visibility.