Analysis of Illegal Road Crossing Behavior of University Students of Bangladesh

Abstract

Road crossing behavior of university students is a matter of concern for Bangladesh as most pedestrian road-crossing fatalities occur among young university students. Students most often cross the road illegally and risky behavior is observed among this young age group. Most of the university students prefer to commute on foot which makes them particularly vulnerable to road related hazards. During road crossing use of smartphones, lack of attention and risky behavior can be observed among them. This study aims to identify the factors that influence jaywalking among university students of Bangladesh. A questionnaire survey was used for data collection purposes and 430 students from 50 universities participated in the survey. During the process, data on socio demographic, environmental, situational, weather variation, road crossing behavior were taken into consideration. A logistic regression model was used to find out the factors which influence the road crossing behavior of the university students. The findings suggest that the most influential factors concerning illegal road crossing behavior are gender, study year, current living area, proximity to university, eye problem, mode of transportation, time of arrival to university, mental trauma, use of smartphone, attention to traffic signs, level of safety knowledge, use of pedestrian facilities, seasonal variation, waiting time, location of crossing, presence of friends. Findings will help policymakers to understand students’ jaywalking characteristics and take necessary steps to improve their safety on roads.