| Introduction: Pedestrians are among the most vulnerable groups in traffic accidents. The purpose
of this study was to explore the strategies associated with pedestrian safety from the perspective
of traffic and transport stakeholders.
Methods: In 2018, this mixed-method study with an explanatory design was conducted in two
phases: a quantitative cross-sectional study (the first phase) was conducted among 508 residents
in Tabriz, Iran. The valid and reliable Pedestrian Safety Behaviors (PSB) scale was used to collect
data through self-report. In the second phase, the quantitative results were presented to twentyfour
urban traffic and transport stakeholders during individual interviews (as the qualitative
phase) to explore the strategies to promote the safety behaviors of pedestrians. The qualitative
data were analyzed applying the conventional content analysis approach.
Findings: In the quantitative phase, the residents acquired more than 62% of the maximum
possible score in all constructs. Among all the domains, aggressive behaviors (85.6%), distractive
behaviors (77.2%), violation (21.56%), and PSBs (70.5%) were found with the highest scores.
Age, gender, and educational level were significant predictors of safety pedestrians’ behaviors (p
≤ 0.001). In the qualitative phase, the strategies to promote pedestrian safety were explored and
grouped into four main categories: building public education policies on traffic safety, developing
traffic safety infrastructure, improving the traffic management system, and strengthening urban traffic
safety legislation.
Conclusion: Our findings provided strategies to promote pedestrian safety for urban traffic and
transport systems of developing countries with specific complexities, particularly in the management
system. The mixed-method approach used in the present study was helpful in identifying
the most relevant strategies for promoting safe behaviors of pedestrians in Iran, as a developing
country. These strategies may be considered while traffic safety policy-making and/or designing
pedestrian safety promotion programs within urban environments. The strategies reported here
may pertain not only to the Iranian community but also to other potential sectors in developing
countries that have the responsibility of providing pedestrians with a safe roadway environment. |