Impact of Road Infrastructure on VRU Safety: A Case–Control Study

A dearth of research exists concerning the road influence of road infrastructure on road safety in low- to medium-income nations, particularly in relation to vulnerable road users (VRUs). To address this void, an extensive five-year study (2017–2021) was conducted in Vadodara, examining VRUs involvement in fatal crashes and the impact of various road infrastructure. This investigation primarily scrutinized variables such as land use, street lighting, lane count, parking facilities, road width, medians, median cuts, lane markings, zebra crossings, speed breakers, footpath presence, commercial activities, and access density on VRU fatal crashes. The study analysed 608 midblock within the road network, incorporating pertinent geometric aspects. To ascertain risk factors for VRU fatal crashes, an unmatched case–control methodology applying a Logistic regression model was employed, defining cases as midblock with VRU fatal crashes and controls as midblock without, presenting both univariate and fully adjusted models. Throughout the study period, 169 pedestrian and 198 motorized two-wheeler fatal crashes occurred. Bicyclist crashes were excluded due to their relative rarity compared to pedestrians and motorized two-wheelers. Key findings reveal that higher traffic volume and an increased number of lanes significantly correlate with elevated pedestrian crash risks. Similarly, motorized two-wheeler (M2W) crashes are notably influenced by the number of lanes and median width. However, wider medians exhibit a negative correlation with M2W crashes, indicating a safety benefit. Moreover, residential land use is statistically significant for both pedestrian and M2W crashes, highlighting the elevated crash likelihood associated with increased pedestrian and M2W activity. These findings underscore the need for targeted interventions to enhance VRU safety and inform policy decisions for improved road infrastructures.