Beliefs, motives and situational factors related to pedestrians' self-reported behavior at signal-controlled crossings

The study examined pedestrians' self-reported road-crossing behavior in relation to beliefs regarding the consequences of the behavior incorporated in the health belief model, instrumental and normative motives for compliance with safety rules, and situational factors. A questionnaire was administered to 205 students at two Israeli higher education institutions. The results show that crossing against a 'Don't walk' sign is predicted by perceived consequences of the behavior, as well as by normative motives. The results revealed consistent gender differences: women's perception of their susceptibility to an accident resulting from an unsafe crossing is higher than that of men; women also report more than men that they are motivated by normative and instrumental considerations. Nevertheless, for women unsafe crossing is predicted only by instrumental motives, whereas for men both normative and instrumental motives predict unsafe crossing behavior. Among the situational variables, the presence of other pedestrians is related to the self-reported crossing behavior of women, whereas traffic volume is related to that of men. The results are discussed with regard to similarities and differences between pedestrians and drivers in compliance with safety laws.