Lighted Crosswalks Make Drivers More Apt to Yield to Pedestrians – IIHS
In areas with few streetlights, drivers are more than 3 times as likely to yield to pedestrians at illuminated crosswalks than at dark ones, a new study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety shows. At lighted crosswalks that also include flashing yellow warning beacons, drivers are more than 13 times as likely to yield.
“These results show that simple changes can have a dramatic impact on pedestrian safety,” IIHS President David Harkey said. “When drivers are yielding, pedestrians aren’t dying.”
About 75% of the 7,522 pedestrians who died in motor vehicle crashes in 2022 were killed in the dark, suggesting that improved lighting could help stem the rising tide of pedestrian fatalities.
