The urban structure and pedestrian injuries: A typological analysis of pedestrian crashes in the city of Hermosillo, Mexico

ObjectiveIn this study, we aim to identify social typologies of pedestrian crashes considering demographics, health impacts, involved vehicle, temporality of the collision, and place of impact in Hermosillo, Mexico.MethodsA socio-spatial analysis was performed by using local urban planning information and vehicles-pedestrian crashes records collected by the police department (N = 950) between 2014 and 2017. Multiple Correspondence Analysis and Hierarchical Cluster Analysis were used to determine typologies. Geographical distribution of typologies was obtained with spatial analysis techniques.ResultsThe results suggest there are four typologies, which portray the physical vulnerability of pedestrians, which reflect the vulnerability to collisions associated to the variables age, gender, and street speed limits. Findings show that children are more likely to be injured during weekends in residential zones (Typology 1), while older females are more likely to be injured during the first three days of the week (Monday - Wednesday) in the downtown area (Typology 2). Injured males during the afternoon in arterial streets represented the most frequent cluster (Typology 3). Also, males were likely to be severely injured by heavy trucks during nighttime in peri-urban areas (Typology 4). These findings indicate that vulnerability and risk exposure vary according to the type of pedestrian involved in the crash, which are linked to the types of places they visit.ConclusionsThe design of the built environment plays a major role in the number of pedestrian injuries particularly when it favors motor vehicles over pedestrians or non-motorized vehicles. Because traffic crashes are considered preventable events, cities must embrace a diversity of mobility modes and incorporate the appropriate infrastructures that safeguard the lives of all their travelers, especially pedestrians.