Digital and social distractions’ impact on pedestrian road crossing behavior at signalized intersection crosswalks

The study primarily seeks to investigate the behavioral attribution of distraction in pedestrian road crossing. A distraction-themed questionnaire survey was conducted across Kolkata city, India, to understand the contribution of distraction to near-misses and injuries. The survey response showed that among all reported respondents, 13.7% (61) encountered at least one near-miss and 4.5% (20) experienced at least one accident in the past. The video-based observational field study of 2,360 pedestrians revealed that 28.7% of the pedestrians were distracted while crossing the road. Pedestrians who text walked relatively slowly and 7.9% more likely to violate signal. Additionally, mobile phone talkers were observed to be 4.5% more likely to nearly hit/bump into another oncoming pedestrian. The present study constitutes vital information for planners and policymakers and plays a pivotal role in identifying critical intersections and developing countermeasures to minimize the impact or occurrence of pedestrian distraction and unsafe behavior.