Distracted Pedestrian Behavior: Using Virtual Reality to Increase Safety An average of over 4700 American pedestrians die annually, 10% of whom are young adults ages 17- 25. Of concern, the pedestrian injury rate in the United States shows an increasing trend the past decade, perhaps partly due to the skyrocketing rate of distracting mobile device use by pedestrians and drivers. We propose a repeated measures experimental research trial to evaluate an experiential intervention to reduce distracted pedestrian behavior on an urban college campus. The intervention has two primary goals: (a) to increase individual's perceived vulnerability/susceptibility to injury when crossing streets while distracted and (b) to change community norms such that it becomes normative to put one's phone aside while crossing streets. We will accomplish these goals through an intervention hallmarked by the innovative experiential strategy of allowing individuals to engage in the target risk behavior, street-crossing while distracted by text- messaging, within the safety of a virtual pedestrian environment. We expect individuals who experience the risk of distracted versus undistracted pedestrian behavior in simulation will self-examine and alter their behavior in the real world. The intervention will take place during a weeklong campaign based in classroom buildings. We expect to create a buzz on campus that alters normative behavior and accomplishes health- related behavior change via social contagion efficiently and effectively. Two data collection strategies will evaluate outcomes: (a) unobtrusive observation of pedestrian behavior both pre-intervention and on three occasions post-intervention (immediate, 3 month follow-up, 6 month follow-up) on the target intervention campus and also at a control campus not exposed to the intervention, and (b) self-report concerning perceived vulnerability/susceptibility of distracted pedestrian injury and typical pedestrian behaviors from a randomly selected sub-sample of 300 individuals assessed on three occasions (pre-intervention, post-intervention, 3 month follow-up) at the campus where the intervention is implemented. Primary analyses will be conducted using linear mixed models to assess trends over time.
Pedestrian injuries kill over 4700 Americans annually, including about 550 young adults ages 17-25. Unlike most medical conditions, the pedestrian injury rate is currently increasing in the United States. This project will study the efficacy of a behavioral intervention designed to reduce distracted pedestrian behavior on college campuses; at the heart of the proposed intervention is use of a virtual pedestrian environment to illustrate the hazards of crossing a street while distracted.
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