In science and practical traffic safety work it is undisputed that children behave differently than adults in road traffic due to their not yet fully developed motor skills, visual and acoustic perception and cognitive development. The aim of the present report is to develop the current state of knowledge on the subject of "children in road traffic" by means of a broad-based, systematic analysis of German and international literature on the developmental psychological abilities of children of different ages. Based on current introductory literature on developmental psychology, an overview of relevant dimensions of child development is given. Subsequently, selected findings from 251 reviewed literature sources will be presented in an abridgement. In addition to individual dimensions of child development, the complex crossing behaviour and road safety measures for children are also dealt with. The systematic literature research carried out in the course of the project led to a paradoxical result: • On the one hand, it was possible to identify a wide range of literature sources dealing with more or less specific aspects of children's development and their relevance for their safe participation in traffic as pedestrians or cyclists. • On the other hand, the findings presented prove to be very specific with regard to the aspect of development or traffic participation studied, the age of the children tested, the study design, the underlying setting or the sample size. Against this background, the report focuses on the most comparable presentation of the content and methodological aspects of the literature sources examined. Finally, the report presents starting points for further research and practical road safety work. (Author/publisher)
Abstract