A child’s first steps are among the most memorable moments of a parent’s life. Children progress quickly to walking to school, the bus stop or a friend’s house. Clearly, walking is an important part of our children’s development, health and well-being and an integral part of our communities. However, over the last 30 years, the percentage of children walking to school has plummeted from nearly half in 1969 to just 10 percent in 1995.1, 2 This decline can be attributed to many causes, especially traffic threats and other hazards that make walking unsafe for children.3 Decreased walking has contributed to a significant decline in child pedestrian deaths and injuries. However, pedestrian injury remains a leading cause of unintentional injury-related death among children.4 In 2002, 599 children ages 14 and under died in pedestrian accidents,5 and an estimated 38,400 were treated in hospital emergency rooms for pedestrian-related injuries in 2003.6 The total annual cost of traffic-related pedestrian death and injury among children ages 14 and under is $5.2 billion.7Since 1996, the Surface Transportation Policy Project has reported on overall pedestrian safety in major metropolitan areas through its Mean Streets reports. Now for the first time, Safe Kids Worldwide has ranked metropolitan areas for child pedestrian safety. This study compares child pedestrian safety in 47 major metropolitan areas and explores how different factors influence the safety of a child’s pedestrian environment. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting