This article discusses important cognitive elements that need to be targeted in future road-safety education and presents the authors' own research to identify and develop them. Crossing a road safely is a complex cognitive task using a range of very sophisticated understandings and skills. For a busy road, this must be done at speed, in circumstances with considerable opportunities for distraction. The researchers developed a problem-solving model of the pedestrian task, which is shown in a diagram in the article. Within this model, `domain-specific' knowledge was related to children's level of exposure to traffic and road-safety training. Three areas of `domain-general' skills were explored: (1) metacognitive processes, involving awareness of one's own thought processes; (2) visual search skills; and (3) general academic abilities. Various measures and observations were taken of children's abilities and understandings. The study provided clear evidence that children's development of pedestrian skills is very variable. Although skill and performance tended to increase with age, there was considerable overlap in the performance of the three age groups tested and considerable individual differences within age groups. Three recommendations are made for children's road safety education.
Samenvatting