Driven out, sent off : results of an investigation into the influence of the increasing number of cars and the threat of danger from traffic on the freedom of movement of children on the streets.

The research presented in this paper set out to prove that increase in traffic and in the number of cars drastically restrict the freedom of children. This may be an explanation to why accidents involving children as pedestrian have decreased; the children or their parents fear the traffic so much that the accident exposure is greatly reduced. The investigation into the restriction in freedom and feelings of fear was carried out in four Dutch cities. Residential areas were selected based on different properties, with special regard to applied road safety measures. Questionnaires were distributed to parents and interviews held with children and parents: Conclusions drawn have been related to: (1) The age to: (1) The age at which children are allowed to move around without supervision; (2) Frequency of play; (3) Supervision of play; and (4) Degree of independence in moving around.