Wael Alhajyaseen

Pedestrian safety remains a major concern in rapidly urbanizing environments, where traffic volumes steadily increase and interactions with motorized vehicles are more frequent. However, few studies have examined how these evolving conditions influence pedestrian crash patterns within the unique urban and mobility context of countries like Qatar. This study examined the spatiotemporal distribution, demographic associations, and contributing factors of pedestrian casualties using crash data from 2017 to 2022. A Kernel density estimation (KDE) was used to locate where casualties are spatially concentrated. Descriptive and ordinal logistic regression analyses were also applied to examine casualty patterns and determine the factors associated with severity levels. The spatial analysis revealed pedestrian casualties of all severity levels were predominantly concentrated in the central and southwestern zones of Doha, particularly in areas characterized by high population density, low-income residents, and industrial activities. While severe and minor injuries formed more spatially continuous clusters within densely populated and economically active zones, fatal casualties were more scattered and extended toward peripheral zones. Male, and non-Arab pedestrians were highly affected, reflecting exposure and physical vulnerability. Casualties were most frequent during evening hours and relatively colder months, when pedestrian exposure increases. Young, and Arab drivers were disproportionately involved in pedestrian casualties, while reckless driving was identified as a key contributing factor. Higher-class roadways (expressways and arterials) and increasing posted speed limits also significantly elevated the odds of severe outcomes. The findings underscore the need for targeted interventions focusing on speed management, improved pedestrian infrastructure, and behavioral interventions. Policy recommendations include installing speed cameras and constructing grade-separated crossings in industrial and commercial corridors, and enhancing sidewalks and marked crosswalks in labor-dense neighborhoods. Additionally, awareness campaigns should focus on young drivers and vulnerable pedestrian groups to promote safer road user behavior. These evidence-based insights provide a foundation for planners and policymakers to improve pedestrian safety by pinpointing high-risk areas.

A driver’s perception of safety plays a crucial role in shaping driving behavior during critical situations. In car-following scenarios involving critical events, however, this perception may not always align with actual crash risk, thereby increasing the crash risk. This study examined how sociodemographic factors and driving conditions including leading vehicle type, and speed limits influence the behavioral classification of drivers based on safety perception alignment in car-following scenarios. Data from 61 participants were collected in a driving simulator across eight scenarios. Subjective safety perceptions were compared with objective safety metrics to classify drivers into four behavioral categories: Safe, Defensive, Risky, and Aggressive. Mixed Effect Multinomial logistic regression revealed that drivers with less experience (2–5 years) were more likely to be in the risky category than more experienced drivers. Being in the risky category was also more prevalent at lower speeds and when following motorbike compared to truck. Arab drivers showed a higher likelihood of being in the Aggressive category, while drivers following sedan or SUV were less likely to be classified as aggressive compared to those following a truck. Furthermore, leading vehicle type was found to influence the likelihood of being in the defensive category. These findings provide insights that may support the development of targeted driver training programs and traffic safety interventions tailored to specific driver profiles and driving conditions, ultimately contributing to improved road safety.

Drivers do not properly respect pedestrian priority at marked mid-block crosswalks. This study assesses pedestrians and vehicles behavior at such locations. Video recording at two mid-block crosswalks was used to analyze 12 crossing attributes and their correlations. Analysis of 884 pedestrians’ and 2087 vehicle’s data showed that all demographic and crossing related attributes affected the crossing speed and crossing time of pedestrians. The average crossing speed of pedestrians was 1.3 m/s. Only parked car at crosswalk affected the waiting and delay times of pedestrians. Lastly, gender and crossing related parameters were found to affect the accepted gap of pedestrians. The average accepted gap of pedestrians was 6.17 s. Vehicle speeds before, at, and after crosswalks were statistically different and had mean values of 19.38, 17.31, and 20.40 kmph, respectively. Driver yielding rate was found to be 40% and was statistically significantly influenced by gender, dressing style, crossing in-group, and rolling behavior.

Simulation sickness (SS) remains a challenge in virtual reality (VR) applications, especially in pedestrian safety research. This study investigates SS symptoms in VR environments, focusing on gender differences, exposure time, and user perceptions. A total of 145 participants were exposed to two VR pedestrian scenarios: a crosswalk and a sidewalk. The Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ) was used to assess symptoms of nausea, oculomotor disturbance, and disorientation. Results showed that female participants reported significantly higher SS symptoms than males, with the sidewalk scenario inducing greater overall SS. Additionally, perceived realism in the VR environment was associated with reduced symptoms, while perceived disengagement led to increased discomfort. These findings highlight the importance of user perceptions in mitigating SS and suggest that VR scenarios should be designed with attention to gender differences and environmental realism to improve user experience and safety.

Motorcycle food delivery riders (MFDRs) face significant crash risk with some of these crashes attributed to other vehicle drivers. This research assesses drivers’ perceptions and observed riding behaviors of MFDRs through a survey and analyzes driver factors that increase MFDR crash risk. Drivers indicated that MFDRs exhibited reckless riding (tailgating, filtering, and weaving), and drivers’ demographics, driving characteristics, and personality trait anger affected these observations. Personality trait anger influenced fault identified in a crash and motorcycle riding perception, while driver demographics had a minor effect on the perceptions. Drivers’ motorcycle riding experience affected understanding of MFDR riding behaviors and MFDR riding perception. Driver’s age, employment, motorcycle riding experience, violations, emotional state while driving (hurry), observed MFDR violations factor score, and motorcycle riding perception affected crash probability. The results could be used to develop strategies to promote traffic safety in mixed environments by providing motorcycle riding behavior awareness and improving driver training.

Crashes involving pedestrians are particularly common at unsignalized mid-block crosswalks, where, sometimes, vehicles do not yield to pedestrians. A refuge island (RI) is a countermeasure at mid-block crosswalks on two-lane roads to improve safety in pedestrian–vehicle conflicts. This study investigates the impact of RI at unsignalized mid-block crosswalks on pedestrian crossing behavior and conflict severity, considering vehicle approach speed and approach direction. A virtual reality experiment was designed to compare pedestrian crossing behaviors in different scenarios. Results revealed that at higher vehicle approaching speeds, pedestrians tended to accept shorter gaps, leading to a higher rate of unsafe crossings. Generally, in RI setting, pedestrians accepted significantly shorter gaps, which increases the operational efficiency of the crosswalk without significantly affecting the severity of conflicts with vehicles. Furthermore, the subjective evaluation of the pedestrians after the experiment clearly indicated their preference for the RI setting, as they reported a safer crossing experience.