Unveiling Pedestrian Safety Perceptions using Rasch Analysis

Abstract

Despite a global focus on pedestrian-vehicle interactions in road safety studies, pedestrian behavior and safety perceptions are often overlooked. This research investigates pedestrian safety perceptions and behaviors in urban environments, with London as a case. Rasch analysis, a novel approach in road safety, is applied to analyze pedestrian safety perceptions and their impact on walking and crossing activities. The analysis identified items such as crossing in red signal phases and running across streets to be unsafe. Differential Item Functioning test revealed age-related variations in safety perceptions. Additionally, the test reveals that factors such as walking and crossing in a group and pedestrian friendly facilities significantly influence safety perceptions. The study contributes to Ajzen's theory of planned behavior, emphasizing the importance of perceived behavioral control in pedestrian activities. This research provides a robust model for researchers to predict and understand pedestrian safety perceptions.