Motorists often fail to yield right-of-way to pedestrians in
crosswalks. Thus, being a pedestrian can be extremely dangerous.
During the three-year period of 2004 through the end of 2006
there were a total of 14,340 pedestrian fatalities and 193,000
pedestrian injuries resulting from pedestrian-automobile crashes
nation-wide (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
[NHTSA], 2008). Decreasing the occurrence of these crashes and
increasing the incidence of drivers yielding right-of-way to
pedestrians would increase both safety and the overall
experience of walking. The majority of pedestrian crashes occur
at mid-block crossings. Any alternative traffic control device
that is not a traffic signal has historically had minimal effect
on motorist yielding behavior on multilane roads. Because of the
high cost of traffic signals their installation is restricted to
intersections with high motor vehicle and pedestrian usage. The
traffic signal warrant also limits the application of such
devices to high pedestria