PEOPLE IN TRAFFIC

THE TRAFFIC CAPACITY OF CHILDREN OF 4 TO 10 YEARS OF AGE WAS INVESTIGATED. ALMOST ALWAYS CHILDREN'S TRAFFIC CAPACITY WAS OVER ESTIMATED BY ADULTS. THE DIMINUTIVE STATURE OF CHILDREN MAKES IT DIFFICULT FOR THEM TO SIZE UP A TRAFFIC SITUATION; ON AN AVERAGE A THREE-YEAR-OLD'S EYES ARE 88CM FROM THE GROUND, WHILE A SIX-YEAR-OLD'S ARE 110CM. CHILDREN ARE INCAPABLE OF DISTRIBUTING THEIR ATTENTION; THEY CONCENTRATE ON ONE THING AT A TIME OR ELSE THEY TAKE A VAGUE OVERALL IMPRESSION. IT IS DIFFICULT FOR THEM TO DETERMINE FROM WHAT DIRECTION A SOUND COMES FROM. SMALL CHILDREN DO NOT READ ROAD SIGNS, SOMETIMES BEACAUSE OF HEIGHT, THEY DO NOT SEE THEM. THEY CANNOT DISTINGUISH BETWEEN RIGHT AND LEFT. MANY OF CHILDREN BELIEVE THE SAFEST WAY TO CROSS A STREET IS TO RUN. THE AVERAGE CHILD DOES NOT OBTAIN THE REQUISITE DEGREE OF TRAFFIC MATURITY AS A PEDESTRIAN OR AS A BICYCLIST UNTIL HE IS BETWEEN NINE AND TWELVE.

• Corporate Authors:

  Stockholm University, Sweden

  Institute for Child Development Research
  Stockholm,   Sweden 
• Authors:
  • Sandels, S
• Publication Date: 1970-10

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Adolescents; Age; Highway design; Pedestrians; Perception; Persons with disabilities; Safety; Traffic safety; Vision
• Old TRIS Terms: Minors
• Subject Areas: Highways; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Safety and Human Factors; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00223586
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Nat Safety Council Safety Res Info Serv
• Report/Paper Numbers: pp 84-90
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Nov 29 1971 12:00AM