Exploring the Impact of Distracted Pedestrians on Traffic Operations at Signalized Intersections in Central Florida

With the advances in technology and communication devices, such as smartphones and in-vehicle systems, being distracted has become the norm in our society. Those distractions cause a tremendous cognitive load, especially when crossing the street, which may significantly increase pedestrians’ reaction times. Distracted pedestrians’ impact on traffic safety has been explored extensively. However, very few studies explored the impact of distracted pedestrians on traffic operations but failed to measure it in real life. This research aims to quantify distracted pedestrians’ impacts on the startup and crossing times at signalized intersections. Approximately 5,000+ pedestrians were monitored during the study at different locations in Central Florida. The main parameters studied were land use, group status, and age group. Different statistical models were formed to understand the impact of these factors on the intersections’ operations and quantify their effects on the proposed responses. Overall, distracted pedestrians did not significantly impact the intersections’ traffic operations. Although distractions among pedestrians increased their crossing time by nearly 4%, the extra time caused by their distractions was almost equal to or less than drivers’ startup lost time of 2 s.