Observational study finds reflective clothing reduces pedestrian crash injury severity in low-visibility conditions, suggesting targeted visibility interventions.
This study investigates how pedestrian attire affects crash injury severity under low-visibility conditions using a random parameter logit model with heterogeneity in means, based on 2015–2018 Maryland crash data. The analysis examines driver, crash, temporal, roadway, vehicle, environmental, and pedestrian characteristics through average marginal effects and standard deviations of random parameters. Results show that reflective and light-colored garments generally reduce severe injuries, though their protective efficacy is compromised in side collisions due to directional lighting limits. Dark or mixed clothing exacerbates risks, especially when interacting with large commercial vehicles or alcohol-impaired drivers. Motorcycles exhibit a unique severity-downgrade effect. Risk compensation is also observed, as road users behave more cautiously in recognized high-risk scenarios. Joint likelihood ratio tests indicate overall temporal instability across the study period, underscoring the need for dynamically updated safety interventions.
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Li et al. (2026) studied this question.
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