Pedestrian Safety in Road Traffic in the Era of the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic in the Example of Szczecin

Katarzyna Sosik-Filipiak (), Piotr Ostrowski and Stanisław Iwan
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Katarzyna Sosik-Filipiak: Faculty of Engineering and Economics of Transport, Maritime University of Szczecin, 11 H. Pobożnego Str., 70-507 Szczecin, Poland
Piotr Ostrowski: Institute of Political Science and Security Studies, University of Szczecin, 71-79 Krakowska Str., 71-017 Szczecin, Poland

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 14, 1-20

Abstract: Safety of road users is one of the priority tasks of state institutions and local government authorities. Compared to other EU member states, Poland is characterized by a low level of road safety. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than half of road fatalities affect vulnerable road users (VRU). Most interactions in the vehicle–VRU relationship occur in built-up areas. Limiting the public’s mobility related to the spread of the COVID-19 virus led to changes in road traffic, which was reflected in the level of safety of individual road users. As part of a clear emphasis on the issue of VRU protection, the aim of this article is to examine the level of pedestrian safety in urban space at the time of restrictions on the public’s mobility in Poland during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and after lifting the limitations, based on the example of Szczecin. The authors put forward two research hypotheses: (1) the level of road safety is influenced by the intensity and saturation of the transport network; (2) the intensity of road traffic determines the occurrence of a greater number of road accident consequences. This study analyses traffic accident data over three periods—2017–2018, 2019–2020, and 2021—to identify pedestrian safety trends. The research shows that the intensity of road traffic has a significant impact on the occurrence of road accidents. The reduced road traffic due to the movement restrictions has kept the severity of road accidents moderate. In the post-pandemic period and the gradual lifting of the mobility restrictions, the number of road accidents increased while their consequences decreased.

Keywords: road safety; non-motorized transport; vulnerable road users; pedestrian safety; traffic safety facilities; COVID-19; post-COVID mobility; urban mobility (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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