Accident statistics have demonstrated for a long time that children in the age range 5-9 years are particularly over-represented in pedestrian accidents (Thomson, 1991). This report details findings from a research project, commissioned by the UK Department of Transport as part of their Child Development and Road Safety research programme, concerned with the development of pedestrian skills in 4-11 year old children. The intention of this research programme is to improve the effectiveness of road safety training for children in the Primary school age range. The project made assessments of the pedestrian skills of Primary school age children and investigated their relationship to various factors. A problem-solving analysis of safely crossing a road was developed which suggested that children's developing abilities as pedestrians would be dependent upon interactions between their road traffic experience (exposure to road traffic and road safety training), a range of relevant cognitive abilities (metacognition, visual search, academic attainment), their cognitive style (impulsivity/reflectivity) and the development of effective information-sampling and decision-making strategies. A sample of 180 Primary age children were tested, 60 in each of three age groups (Reception: 4/5 years, Year 3: 7/8 years and Year 6: 10/11 years). In order to ensure a range of road traffic experience, the children were drawn from three schools, one rural, one suburban and one located in the city centre. There were equal numbers of boys and girls. In order to compare the strategies of the children with experienced adult pedestrians, a small group of 10 adults were also tested on one of the tasks. Data was collected for each of the children in relation to pedestrian skills, pedestrian strategies, personal attributes, exposure to traffic and road safety training, metacognition, visual search skills, academic attainment and cognitive style. The children's pedestrian skills were assessed using slides and videos of road traffic to test their abilities to identify safe places to cross the road, detect sources of danger and co-ordinate information from different directions. Pedestrian strategies were assessed in relation to one of these tasks using a three-way video presentation. This task was also completed by the small group of 10 adults. The children's and adults' strategies were assessed by analysing their head and eye movements and the timing of their decisions that it was safe to cross the road. The age, gender and levels of exposure to traffic and road safety training were assessed by means of a parent questionnaire and a child interview. (Author/publisher)
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