Drivers’ speed behaviour in the vicinity of additionally illuminated pedestrian crossings

The probability and severity of accidents at pedestrian crossings strongly depend on vehicles’ speed; hence, drivers’ speed control and awareness of driving conditions are very important. Lighting installations in the transition areas of pedestrian crossings have been set up in Polish cities in recent years to improve the visibility of pedestrian crossings and enhance drives’ awareness while approaching sensitive spots in the road network. A key study focus is to evaluate the influence of additional lighting systems on drivers’ behaviour in terms of travel speed. Drivers’ speed measures were carried out under daytime and nighttime conditions on single carriageways. Speed measurements were performed in free flow driving conditions in the vicinity of zebra crossins located in mid-block segments and at intersection inlets. The analyses conducted have shown an ambiguous influence of lighting installations on drivers’ behaviour. It has been found that drivers approaching pedestrian crossings with additional illumination systems decrease their speed significantly, but average speeds, even reduced, remain over posted speed limits. Moreover, at zebra locations, drivers’ speed under night conditions in some cases was found to be significantly higher than during the day. Based on the results obtained, some recommendations have been made to improve drives’ speed behaviour at pedestrian crosswalks.