Traffic hazard perception among children

Most studies comparing hazard perception skills between young and middle-aged drivers show that increasing age is associated with decreased reaction time to traffic hazards, although some studies failed to find this relationship. Studies on young people’s hazard perception demonstrate that younger children have a more idiosyncratic perspective on the road environment and thus might have difficulty in understanding non-obvious dangers, such as dangers caused by lack of sight. This study’s purpose is to examine the relationship between age and hazard perception when comparing children, teenagers, and adults. It demonstrates that children under 13 years of age have significantly longer hazard perception latencies and lower response rates to some traffic hazards than teenagers or adults. This effect is larger for hazards not involving “threatening” vehicles, such as hazards caused by standing or slowly moving road users on the side of the street with the ability to cause dangerous situations by behaving unexpectedly. The results indicate types of hazards to be emphasized in traffic safety education for children.

• Record URL:
  • https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trf.2014.07.007
• Record URL:
  • http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1369847814001132
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/13698478
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Abstract reprinted with permission of Elsevier.
• Authors:
  • Meyer, Sunniva
  • Sagberg, Fridulv
  • Torquato, Renata
• Publication Date: 2014-9

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 190-198
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour
  • Volume: 26, Part A
  • Issue Number: 0
  • Publisher: Elsevier
  • ISSN: 1369-8478
  • Serial URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/13698478

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Age groups; Awareness; Children; Hazards; Human information processing; Pedestrian safety; Perception; Reaction time; Vulnerable road users
• Subject Areas: Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Safety and Human Factors; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01541009
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Oct 15 2014 5:11PM