New Publications

Posted 11/14/2007
More pedestrians killed during a new moon

Even though full moons are often associated with unusual or scary occurrences, new moons actually present more dangers for pedestrians. In a recent study, UMTRI researchers Michael Sivak, Brandon Schoettle, and Omer Tsimhoni found that more pedestrians are killed in traffic on nights with a new moon (when the moon is not illuminated) than during a full moon.

The researchers examined ten years of nighttime crashes and lunar phase data from 1996 to 2005, looking at fatalities during a seven-hour period from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. They found that the mean number of pedestrian fatalities during this time was 22 percent higher on nights with a new moon compared to nights with a full moon.

"The overall nighttime road fatality rate per distance traveled in the United States is about three times the daytime rate, due mostly to lower ambient illumination and higher frequencies of fatigued, intoxicated and younger drivers," says Sivak, research professor and head of UMTRI's Human Factors Division. "In this study, we found that pedestrian crashes are sensitive to differences within low levels of ambient illumination, which can vary in nighttime conditions."

The article, "Moon Phases and Nighttime Road Crashes Involving Pedestrians," was published in the October edition of LEUKOS, the journal of the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America. For more information, read the press release.