Hesam Shabaniverki - Highway and Transportation Specialist, Washington, D.C., USA

Iran is a developing country whereby traffic accidents are one of the main causes of death, following the primary health-related cause of disease [۱]. Highly vulnerable individuals that are most prone to traffic accidents are cyclists and pedestrians; they suffer the highest rate of disability and death in Iran. Researchers usually suggest that traffic incidents are the cause of careless and unsafe pedestrian or driver behavior. Most common among these behaviours are running, slow walking while crossing, crossing at unmarked zones, using cell phones or otherwise being distracted while crossing, crossing diagonally, crossing when the pedestrian light indicates it would be unsafe to do so, not looking left or right before crossing, disregarding traffic signals, and so on [۲]. Apart from these, several other factors influence pedestrians and are evident in the behavior and attitude of the individuals. Previous studies have successfully influenced the role of pedestrian behavior and attitude in the traffic environment [۳]. The reference to the attitude in traffic safety literature has a particular meaning that Jalilian defined in a specific way. Attitude is considered a prediction factor of human behavior and plays a major role in determining individual behavior that will cause and/or affect traffic accidents [۱]. This paper highlights the innovative way of pedestrian education which held by the author and support of Qazvin municipality in Iran. The results prove the significant importance of Field Training of Pedestrian (FTP) in cities like Qazvin through the cost-benefit method.

Pedestrian, Accident, Cost-benefit, Behavior, Traffic Safety, Mid-size City