How drivers see pedestrians

In rooting around on this topic, I came across some papers written by a hired gun PhD. One in particular stands out.

The author’s key points, some of which are commonly known: (the strength of his argument is how he quantifies and ties it all together)

-how even legal speeds can allow overdriving the distance that one is capable of seeing and avoiding for a pedestrian

-the effects of higher speeds at night and our ability to process what we see

-the role that age plays – those of us aged 50 and up detect pedestrians at substantially shorter distances than younger drivers (he quantifies it)

-how what we can process is zero sum- attention given to one thing comes at the expense of others

-the role of auto lighting: it’s designed to keep glare down for oncoming motorists, at the expense of spotting other things like pedestrians

-what our eyes see vs what the brain processes, especially at night; the role of contrast

-how we as pedestrians so badly under estimate a drivers ability to see us

-especially at night, one’s choice of where to cross a road is a critical factor in whether a driver will see you

-especially at night, one’s choice of clothing is a critical factor

-adverse factors such as rearview mirror posts, smoking, dirty headlights

-the role of alcohol and fatality rates (your risk of a crash after drinking and then walking is slightly higher (5x) than getting behind the wheel (4x)!) (importantly, it doesn’t take a legally defined staggering drunk to greatly increase ones risk)

So many things conspire to force both driver and walker into a death trap.

Thanks to Bruce for sharing this.