This study explores some characteristics of children cycling in traffic from Statistical, developmental and legal perspectives. Analysis of the types of Accidents that child cyclists have been involved in has yielded a Statistically significant difference in the types of errors made by six to eleven year old children and those aged twelve to seventeen years. The Difference indicates that the younger the child cyclists are less able to Perform basic riding manoeuvres safely and are unable to conform to road rules Whereas older child cyclists ten to incur crashes involving risky behaviours. The paper concludes that informed parental decision making, together with an Appropriate degree of adult supervision, contributes a solution to the Question of when children would be capable of riding alone in traffic. (Author/publisher)
Abstract