Road illumination and nighttime pedestrian deaths: Evidence from moonlight

Justin Tyndall

Economics of Transportation, 2025, vol. 42, issue C

Abstract: Of the 7500 pedestrian road deaths recorded in the US in 2022, 79% took place during the night. Low lighting reduces visibility, potentially increasing the frequency and severity of vehicle-pedestrian collisions. I use complete US data on 193,000 nighttime pedestrian deaths, spanning 1975 to 2022. Nightly variation in moonlight provides a natural experiment that exogenously impacts road illumination. Across the US, nighttime pedestrian deaths are 5% lower when the moon is at its brightest, compared to a night with no moonlight. Under cloud-free conditions, peak moonlight causes a 17% drop in pedestrian deaths. In rural areas with low artificial lighting, the effect is 39%. I establish a clear causal relationship between road illumination and pedestrian safety. A small increase in ambient light causes a large improvement in pedestrian outcomes. The finding has policy implications for road safety and the artificial lighting of roadways.

Keywords: Transportation; Safety; Health; Traffic fatalities; Pedestrians (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ecotra:v:42:y:2025:i:c:s221201222500019x

DOI: 10.1016/j.ecotra.2025.100411

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