The influence of Not-Driving-Related Tasks on Pedestrian Safety at midblock LED-lighted crosswalks.

Uncontrolled crosswalks present a significant safety challenge for both pedestrians and drivers, particularly at nighttime. This study investigates the influence of Not-Driving-Related Tasks (NDRT) on driver behavior at midblock uncontrolled crosswalks during nighttime. In this study, we tested a smart road technology solution consisting in red LED bars that inform the driver of the presence of a pedestrian who is crossing the road. The behavioral response was assessed using a driving simulator. In this experiment, 36 drivers were exposed to two NDRT with different difficulty levels while driving. Participants’ behavior variables and surrogate measures of safety were recorded and analyzed in a within-subject design. Results showed that cognitive engagement in NDRT at night impacted on driver behavior. On the one hand, in the absence of LEDs, distracted drivers with a higher level of difficulty had less time to interact with pedestrians than in the case of an easier secondary task. Almost all of the observed accidents occurred when drivers were distracted with difficult tasks and in the absence of LEDs in the crosswalk. We argue that NDRT occupies an extensive part of the attention span. The outcomes also confirm the effectiveness of red-lighted LED crosswalks: with higher level of task difficulty a higher time-to-collision was observed, which explain the effectiveness of such technology on drivers’ awareness of pedestrians at night. Overall, this study confirms that NDRT significantly influence driver behavior and increase the risk of collisions with pedestrians in nighttime driving conditions. The results also highlight the need for increased public awareness and education on the risks of distracted driving, and the importance of smart technologies to enhance road safety.