Enhanced Road Safety with Photoluminescent Pedestrian Crossings in Urban Contexts

Abstract

The safety of roads in urban areas is a major concern for governments, demanding innovative solutions to enhance pedestrian safety. This paper introduces a novel approach to crosswalks by integrating resin with photoluminescent additives, offering a significant boost to road safety. A thorough methodology was employed to assess its effectiveness, covering mechanical, lighting, and vibroacoustic aspects, alongside a photogrammetric analysis of real-world experiments. The material exhibited noteworthy mechanical properties, displaying consistent tensile strength, load capacity, and strain values with a remarkable Shore A hardness. After 20 min, luminance values peaked at 68 mcd/m2, surpassing standard vehicle headlights at 100 m. Additionally, vibroacoustic analysis highlighted a noticeable relationship between vehicle speed and sound bandwidth, indicating the system’s potential to alert pedestrians. Tests revealed that the proposed system significantly decreased the average vehicle speed by 36.96% compared to conventional crosswalks, with a 27.80% reduction when drivers yielded to pedestrians. Furthermore, a survey involving 35 participants, focusing on the knowledge of road safety regulations, behavior, signage, and visibility, found positive results regarding accident reduction. The estimations indicate potential decreases of 26.26% in injuries and 35.4% in fatalities due to improved road conditions, 26.58% in injuries and 53.16% in fatalities resulting from reduced average speeds, and 52.56% in injuries and 79.91% in fatalities through enhanced road education. This underscores the multifaceted impact of the system on urban road safety.