Never Too Young To Learn Road Safety
Even in the safest road environments children are at risk of death or injury if they are not taught how to cross the road safely according to an editorial in the current issue of the Medical Journal of Australia.
Professor Donna Cross and Dr Margaret Hall from the Child Health Promotion Research Unit at Edith Cowan University in Perth say children under the age of ten should not cross the road without adult help.
"Pedestrians under ten years are particularly vulnerable because of their small physical size and underdeveloped abilities for dealing with traffic situations, both cognitive (attention focus, interpreting traffic signs) and perceptual (locating sounds, judging speed, peripheral vision)," Dr Hall said.
"Strategic approaches involving public health, education, health promotion, urban planning, engineering and motor vehicle design are required.
The authors say that while 1-2 year-olds are more likely to be hit by a reversing vehicle, the most common cause of pedestrian trauma in 3-9 year-olds is mid-block 'dart-out' (entering the road between intersections and not seeing, or misjudging, a gap in traffic).
"Ten to 14-year-olds are also vulnerable, but more because of their failure to apply safe pedestrian skills than because of their lack of skills," Dr Hall said.
"Engaging parents and helping them recognise their important role in their children's pedestrian safety has the potential to significantly enhance children's safety on and near roads.
"Parents provide the best role models and one of the only means for children to receive the necessary personalised one-on-one training," Dr Hall said.
"Behavioural programs for children need to be developmentally appropriate and include modelling and training by an adult in a social context and in road environments relevant to the child. Programs need to be interactive and to invovle problem-solving with consistent and prompt feedback from a caring adult.
"Use of didactic knowledge-only strategies (such as rote learning of rules) is inappropriate as young children are unable to generalise this learning to real roads," Dr Hall said.
The Medical Journal of Australia is a publication of the Australian Medical Association.
CONTACT Dr Margaret HALL 0438 400 595 / 08 9273 8237
Judith TOKLEY, AMA Public Affairs, 0408 824 306 / 02 6270 5471