Delays in traffic and motorist yielding to pedestrians

Harrell, W. Andrew; Bereska, Tami

Delays in traffic and motorist yielding to pedestrians

Author

Harrell, W. Andrew

Bereska, Tami

Date

1992

Keywords

pedestrians, motorists, helping behaviour

Abstract (summary)

A field experiment was carried out in which a pedestrian attempted to cross a busy residential street. Associations of the amount of time a motorist was delayed at a four-way stop and the volume of traffic with the decision whether to stop were assessed. For 190 motorists both delay and volume were significantly related to stopping. The longer the delay at the four-way stop and the greater the volume of traffic, the less likely the pedestrian was to elicit a stop. Regression analysis showed that delay was a better predictor of motorists' stopping. These findings are consistent with Piliavin's costs/benefits theory of helping behavior.

Publication Information

Harrell, W. A., & Bereska, T. (1992). Delays in traffic and motorist yielding to pedestrians. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 75 (2), 451-455. doi:10.2466/pms.1992.75.2.451