Exploratory research has been conducted with children aged 3 1/2 to 8 years on their understanding of current traffic safety publicity, their perception of the concept of safety versus danger, and their performance of the 'kerb drill'. Results indicate that road safety behavioural models are more likely to be effective when they are real life people behaving competently in real life traffic situations; that road safety information is more likely to be understood when communicated in a simple, direct manner; that the directives incorporated in the kerb drill do not necessarily promote safe participation in the traffic environment; and that many children do not comprehend the concept of safe/dangerous and thus can not be expected to understand the dangers implicit in the pedestrian task. Based upon this research, road safety resource material acknowledging the limitations of the young pedestrian has been produced, and has been evaluated in infant's schools.
Abstract