Distracted pedestrians in crosswalks: An application of the Theory of Planned Behavior

• The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) was applied to the problem of distracted pedestrians.
• Attitudes and perceived behavioral control emerged as predictors of distracted crossing.
• Future research should examine contextual factors related to scenario-based TPB studies.

Thousands of adult pedestrians are killed or injured each year. In spite of ever growing knowledge of correlates of risk pedestrian behavior, much remains to be learned. A small body of research has applied the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to the problem of risky crossing decisions. We employed TPB to examination of intentions to cross under varying types of distraction. Eighty adults completed measures of injury exposure, followed by a questionnaire structured around TPB assessing intentions to cross streets under common conditions of self-imposed distraction. Results were similar to other research, suggesting attitude and perceived behavioral control predicted intentions to cross streets while distracted. Results are discussed in the context of similar studies, and with regard to future directions and injury prevention efforts.