The effect of a LED lighting crosswalk on pedestrian safety: Some experimental results

The research presented in this paper is focused on the definition of a new methodology for evaluating how illuminated crosswalks influence drivers' behavior when approaching the zebra in nighttime conditions. The proposed methodology is based on in situ speed measurements, and cars' speed was detected in an urban road segment of the city of Rome with a Telelaser instrument. Vehicles speed profiles are measured in the same road segment both in LED-illuminated conditions and in non-illuminated conditions. Results have shown a promising impact of the LED lighting system on pedestrian safety. In fact, cars' mean speed decreases by 19.3% at the crosswalk section in illuminated conditions. Moreover, a positive effect on safety, in terms of mean speed reduction (-16.4%), was found even in the absence of pedestrians