EXPERIMENT PROPOSAL
NAME: CASTILLO, COLICO, DELA CRUZ, DIVERSON DATE: 8/12/18
SECTION: PCAS-06-501A SCHED: M/H 4:30pm-7:30pm
GROUP #4
PROPOSAL # 1
Title:
“No Cellphones/Cellphones Sidewalk Social Experiment”
Introduction
Walking is one of the active transport modes with many public health benefits and
precedes all other transportation modes. It helps with reducing greenhouse gas emissions,
which is responsible for global warming, climate change, and poor air quality. Walking
can also help relieve traffic related congestion problems. Like other modes of
transportation, interactions between pedestrians and vehicles on the same roadway create
safety concerns. Like other modes of transportation, interactions between pedestrians and
vehicles on the same roadway create safety concerns. Pedestrian fatalities accounted for
11% of the U.S. total traffic fatalities in 2003 and 14% in 2012.[CITATION Adm14 \l 1033 ]
According to 2009 National Household Travel Survey (NHTS), walking trips
accounted for 10.9% of all trips reported in the survey [ CITATION The10 \l 1033 ] Factors
contributing to pedestrians' fatalities include environment, infrastructure, and human
factors [CITATION Tay11 \l 1033 ]. Factors cited in the literature that significantly contribute
to fatal and non-fatal pedestrian crashes include improper crossing of a roadway,
inattentiveness, and failure to obey traffic signs. These unsafe behaviors have been shown
to account for 28%, 15%, and 3% of pedestrian deaths [ CITATION Bun05 \l 1033 ]. In
addition, factors of pedestrians’ crash types also included pedestrians walking along the
roadway, failing to yield, crossing the roadway, crossing highway and darting/dashing
midblock (HSIS, 2011).
Pedestrians, much like drivers, have always engaged in multi-tasking like using
hand-held devices, listening to music, snacking, or reading that draw their attention while
walking. The effects of distracted walking are similar to those experienced in distracted
driving[ CITATION Tay11 \l 1033 ]. Market penetration of electronic devices among walkers
and drivers is on the rise and so are safety issues related to “distracted walking”.
In April 2013,[CITATION Ins13 \l 1033 ] conducted a countrywide phone survey of 1004
adults ranging in age between 18 and 65 years. It was found that 3 in 5 (60%) use smartphones
while crossing the street. Breaking down by activity, of all respondents 51% indicated talk on the
phone, 26% text or email, and 34% listened to music while crossing the street. Further, the study
found that out of 1004 respondents, 55%, 26%, and 25% considered texting or emailing, talking
on the phone, and listening to music while crossing a street as most dangerous activities,
respectively. In addition, when comparing these results to distracted driving survey studies, 70%
talked on the cell phone, 64% listened to music at a high volume, and 38% read or sent text
messages while walking.
In another study,[ CITATION Nei11 \l 1033 ] examined dual-task costs in older and
younger adults using a simulated street crossing task constructed in an immersive virtual
environment with an integrated treadmill. Participants were asked to cross the simulated streets of
varying difficulty while either undistracted, listening to music, or conversing on a cell phone.
Older adults were more vulnerable to dual-task impairments than younger adults when the
crossing task was difficult.
Procedure/Method
In this experiment, the experimenter will be using two sign boards that says "No
Cellphones, this lane" and "Cellphones, this lane", and a camera. The experimenter will
wait for people to pass through the two lanes and see if they follow the signboards.
The experimenter will be recording the behaviors of the pedestrian by a camera
that is hidden in a safe place somewhere in the place.
References
Bungum, T. J., Day, C., & Henry, L. J. (2005). The Association ff Distraction and Caution Displayed
by Pedestrians at a Lighted Crosswalk. Journal of Community Health, 269-279.
Liberty Mutual Insurance. (2013). Retrieved from Liberty Mutual Group:
[Link]
fid=3237831502381&pagename=LMGroup%2FViews
%2FLMG&ft=8&cid=1240015377571
Neider, M. B., Gaspar, J. G., & McCarley, J. S. (2011). Walking and talking: dual-task effects on
street crossing behavior in older adults. In Psychology and Aging (pp. 260-268).
NHTSA. (2014). Traffic Safety Facts 2012 Data. Washington DC: U.S. Department of
Transportation, National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, Publication.
Sarkar, S., Tay, R., & Hunt, J. D. (2011). Logistic regression model of risk of fatality in vehicle–
pedestrian crashes on national highways in Bangladesh. Journal of the Transportation
Research Board, 128-137.
(2011). Summary Report Factors Contributing to Pedestrian and Bicycle Crashes on Rural
Highways. Highway Safety Information Systems (HSIS).
(2010). The National Bicycling and Walking Study: 15-Year Status Report. Washington DC: U.S.
Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration.