Science

Drivers of expensive cars are less likely to stop for pedestrians at zebra crossings


People driving expensive cars are more dangerous to pedestrians, and the more valuable their vehicles are the less likely they are to stop at zebra crossings.  

Researchers from the University of Nevada in Las Vegas had people attempt to cross the road while noting the estimated value of the cars that did and didn’t stop.

For every £800 increase in the value of a vehicle, drivers were three per cent less likely to allow a pedestrian to cross to road.

The inverse is also true, with drivers of cheaper cars found to have greater empathy for pedestrians and be more likely to stop to let them cross.

Overall they found about 28 per cent of drivers will stop for pedestrians at a crosswalk – based on the sample of 129 stopping out of 461 vehicles.

Drivers of more expensive vehicles are much more likely to keep driving at a crosswalk than those in cheaper cars - stock image

Drivers of more expensive vehicles are much more likely to keep driving at a crosswalk than those in cheaper cars – stock image

The researchers did not make a note of the type of vehicles that stopped or didn’t stop and estimated the value based on analysis of a recording of the scene. 

For the experiment four people wearing bright red t-shirts attempted to cross the road at two crosswalks without traffic lights in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

The people included a black man, black woman, white man and white woman and crossed roads with no traffic lights and in a 35mph speed limit zone.  

They estimated the second-hand value of each of the 461 cars and found the those that stopped were worth about £4,500 and those driving on were nearly £6,100. 

‘We found that the average estimated car value was lower for cars which yielded to pedestrians, and that estimated cost of the car was a significant predictor for driver yielding,” the authors said in their paper.

The researchers say pedestrian crashes are not equitably distributed with people of colour, and men are more likely to be hit by a car. 

‘The aim of this study was to examine if driver yielding behaviour differed based on gender and skin colour of the pedestrian, and the estimated car cost,’ they said.

Motorists stopped 31.33 per cent of the time for women, 31.17 per cent for a white pedestrian, 24.06 per cent for a male and 24.78 per cent for a black pedestrian.

They say the limited sample size of under 500 drivers make the difference between races notable but not statistically significant.  

In 2017 the pedestrian fatality rate in the USA was 2.99 per 100,000 population for African Americans and 3.99 for American Indian and Alaska Natives.

This compares to a rate of 1.83 in 100,000 population for white people and 2.53 for people of Hispanic ethnicity. 

Some of the data captured as part of the experiment was skewed due to a failure in the video camera they used to film the experiment.

In performing the experiment researchers had each of the four people cross the road up to 30 times but the camera failure meant not all crossings were filmed.

They used the video footage to estimate the value of the vehicles and ensure the crossing attempt was made consistently – so had to exclude crossings not filmed.

The researchers say further study is needed to examine racial and gender differences in pedestrian crashes. 

They said that not being able to interview drivers that stop and don’t stop to understand underlying reasons behind their decision was a major limitation.

There have been a number of studies into the behaviour of drivers on the road, including one that found younger drivers were more likely to take risks.

The researchers did not make a note of the type of vehicles that stopped or didn't stop and estimated the value based on analysis of a recording of the scene

The researchers did not make a note of the type of vehicles that stopped or didn’t stop and estimated the value based on analysis of a recording of the scene

Researchers on this latest study suggest that would be something to consider beyond just the value of the vehicle in future work. 

They also cited a study that found people of ‘higher social-class standing’ were more likely to have feelings of entitlement and narcissism.

‘Therefore, one potential explanation may be that drivers of higher value cars were displaying some of these characteristic traits through their lack of yielding behaviour; e.g. felt a sense of superiority over other road users.’

Which they say could explain the discovery that drivers with more expensive vehicles were less likely to stop, the authors confirmed.

The research has implications for public health, as pedestrians make up 16 per cent of all vehicle fatalities but 12 per cent of trips.

‘Interventions aimed at educating drivers of policies which mandate that they yield right of way to pedestrians may impact driver yielding behaviours. 

‘Drivers simply may not know that they are legally required to yield to pedestrians.’

The report has been published in the journal Transport and Health.

WHAT IS THE LAW FOR DRIVERS AT A NEVADA CROSSWALK? 

Crosswalks in Nevada are at every intersection – although not all of them are marked as some are implied by the nature of the type of road.

Drivers have to yield to pedestrians at a crosswalk in the state.

If a car hits a pedestrian crossing at one of these designated places they can be sued for a range of issues including medical bills and lost wages. 

They could also be held liable for lost earning capacity, pain and suffering and possibly even other punitive damages ordered by a court. 

A crowd of people cross the street in front of the famous Venice-themed Venetian Hotel and Casino on Las Vegas Boulevard

A crowd of people cross the street in front of the famous Venice-themed Venetian Hotel and Casino on Las Vegas Boulevard

A crosswalk in Nevada can be in the middle of the street or on street corners but those in the middle of a street are always marked. 

Pedestrians also have to abide by rules on the crosswalk – including ensuring they don’t suddenly leave a curb when it would be impossible for an oncoming car to stop in time. 

Officials from Clark County, Nevada say multi-lane streets with a lot of cars and higher speeds have more pedestrian collisions at marked crosswalks than unmarked ones.

They say this is because pedestrians expect a motorist to stop for them at a crosswalk but drivers frequently fail to stop – resulting in a crash. 

‘Pedestrians should always be very cautious when walking in a crosswalk, especially when their visibility is limited by a vehicle already stopped at the crosswalk,’ the officials said.

‘At all crosswalks, both marked and unmarked, it is the pedestrian’s responsibility to be cautious and alert before starting to cross the street.’ 



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