TORONTO – Pedestrian countdown signals, meant to bolster pedestrian safety, are actually doing the opposite, according to a study by Sick Kids’ Hospital.
The study suggests the countdown, rather than increasing caution in drivers and pedestrians, encourages them to hurry through intersections.
This comes after another study done in April by Rotterdam’s Erasmus University expressed a similar concern.
“Intersections that are historically more safe, the effect on car accidents was especially bad,” said researcher Arvind Magesan. “It had a much larger affect on the number of car accidents per month.”
The crosswalk countdown timers could warrant increased study, The Insurance Bureau of Canada said.
“There’s a lot more distractions on the road now,” said bureau spokesperson Pete Karageorgos. “This may be another one that’s impacting drivers and their abilities.”
Despite the results of both studies, The City of Toronto says there is little impact on driver and pedestrian safety and that the number of vehicle-to-vehicle collisions remained constant.
Below: Are crosswalk countdown timers dangerous for drivers? Jackson Proskow investigates.
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