Sherry Huybers, Ron Van Houten, & J. E. Louis Malenfant (2004).
Reducing conflicts between motor vehicles and pedestrians: The separate and combined effects.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis,
37, 445-456.
The effects of a symbolic "yield here to pedestrians" sign and advance yield pavement markings
on pedestrian/motor vehicle conflicts, motorists' yielding behavior, and the distance motorists'
yield in advance of crosswalks were evaluated at multilane crosswalks at uncontrolled T
intersections. In Experiment 1, the sign, when used alone, reduced pedestrian/motor vehicle
conflicts and increased motorist yielding distance. The use of fluorescent yellow-green sheeting
as the background of the sign did not increase the effectiveness of the sign. Further reductions
in pedestrian/motor vehicle conflicts and further increases in yielding distance were associated
with the addition of advance yield pavement markings. In Experiment 2, advance yield pavement
markings, when used alone, were as effective in reducing pedestrian/motor vehicle conflicts and
increasing yielding distance as the sign combined with pavement markings. These data suggest
that the pavement markings were the essential component for reducing conflicts and increasing
yielding distance.
DESCRIPTORS: conflict analysis, pavement marking prompts, pedestrian safety, sign prompts