On the causal effect of proximity to school on pedestrian safety at signalized intersections: A heterogeneous endogenous econometric model

Publication date: Available online 28 January 2020Source: Analytic Methods in Accident ResearchAuthor(s): Shahram Heydari, Luis Miranda-Moreno, Adrian J. HickfordAbstractPedestrian safety in proximity to schools is a major concern of transportation authorities, local governments, and residents. In fact, several countermeasures (e.g., school-zone speed limits) are usually in place around schools to provide a safer environment, especially for school-age children. Two questions arise here: (i) are transportation facilities in proximity to schools truly safer than other facilities given a variety of implemented road safety interventions around schools? and (ii) how can we answer the previous question properly using a reliable approach that accounts for possible confounding? While previous literature has mixed results and does not provide clear methodological/empirical guidelines in this regard, we propose an approach that answers the above questions. We illustrate our method on a sample of intersections in Montreal, Canada. Specifically, to underpin a causal interpretation, for the first time in the extent of transportation literature, we develop a heterogeneous endogenous econometric model that estimates the causal effect of proximity to school on pedestrian safety, addressing a complex endogenous relationship between the two. Various built environment, traffic exposure, and road geometric/operational characteristics are considered. The results indicate that if endogeneity is no...
Source: Analytic Methods in Accident Research - Category: Accident Prevention Source Type: research