Crash Characteristics of Pedestrian Fatalities: A Comparison of China and the United States

Collisions between pedestrians and motor vehicles are the unfortunate part of modern life, and their outcomes are often tragic and costly. This study focuses on the crash characteristics and factors associated with pedestrian’s collision with motorized vehicles. Firstly, this paper provides a thorough review of previous literatures in the field of pedestrian safety. Then, a comparison analysis between pedestrian crash data in China and the United States is proposed. Results of the crash data statistics show that the total number of traffic crashes follow the same decline trends in the two countries, and the total number of traffic fatalities in the United States is about one half of that in China. Compared to other road users, drivers account for the largest fatality proportion in the two countries. The second largest group of death in traffic accidents is vehicle passenger in the United States but pedestrian in China. Furthermore, in terms of the factors related to pedestrian crashes, conclusions on gender, age and improper behavior factor are drawn from the pedestrian crash data analysis. Based on these key findings, this paper addresses some potential countermeasures and strategies that aim at improving pedestrian safety.