112 Injury Prevention 1995; 1: 112-115 INJURY CLASSIC Inj Prev: first published as 10.1136/ip.1.2.112 on 1 June 1995. Downloaded from Young children in traffic Stina Sandels Thispaper is the second in Traffic accident statistics in various countries Only the main investigation (b) will be dealt a series ofInjury Classic. show that young children are one of the age with here. In a high rise and low rise housing Ourgoal is to reprint one such paper in each issue to groups which are most affected, both as pedes- area in the suburbs of Stockholm, 13 similar initiate newcomers to the trians and as cyclists. In Sweden, when observation points were selected. These were field ofthese old, often accidents involving children are discussed it is distributed among playgrounds, park areas, quoted, and important contributions. As many are often said that these accidents are caused by areas ofhigh traffic density, streets, and shopp- difficult tofind, it should children's carelessness, incautiousness, and ing centres. During a period of three weeks in help all ofus to have a copy rashness. Such points of view are put forward May and June, 1960, these points were visited at hand. Your suggestions aboutfuture articles are in verdicts in traffic cases in which children once every hour between 8 am and 6 pm by one welcome. Write to the have been involved. It would seem that young of the institute's workers. Notes were made of editor with details ofyour children are regarded in approximately the how many children there were from each area favourite, most quoted same way as ordinary adults, and held responsi- who were at the point when the research worker paper. ble for their incorrect behaviour. Similarly, this arrived, as well as the child's name, age, and identification of children with adults has pro- address. The date, weather, and time of day duced the belief that the behaviour of young were also noted. Approximately 550 children children in traffic could be made perfect by were observed. The results from both areas instruction, and demands for this have often were put together. 80% of the children were been raised in some quarters in the name of out alone or with children of the same age. accident prevention. Apart from a few 3 or 4 year olds, the children But what happens if children are too who were accompanied by adults were mainly immature to be able to derive any benefit from under 21 years old. The older the children traffic instruction? What can be regarded as were, the more often they were observed at all of types of observation points regardless of 'normal' behaviour in traffic for children http://injuryprevention.bmj.com/ different ages? The Research Institute of Child whether these were, from the traffic point of Psychology at the University of Stockholm has, view, suitable or not for children. Children as since 1960, been carrying on a series of inves- young as 3 and 4 years were seen in more than tigations dealing with traffic maturity in child- one quarter of the cases in places which were ren. These investigations are still incomplete dangerous from the traffic point ofview, such as but an account ofthem has been given in a book roadways, pavements and parking areas. They entitled Young Children in Traffic (in Swedish) mostly played alone while their mothers tried published by Laromedelsforlagen, Stockholm, to keep them under observation from windows 1968. This paper gives a summary of the book. or balconies. Five and 6 year olds had less A start was made with a survey of Young supervision while out of doors, and nearly half children's play habits and ranges of action in of them had chosen unsuitable playing areas. 82 5% of the children were within 100 yards of modern urban areas. This survey took the form on September 24, 2021 by guest. Protected copyright. of a series ofexploratory studies, carried out by the door of the building where they lived. Most the institute in conjunction with the Depart- of the children were observed between 10 am ment of Town Planning at the University and noon and between 3 and 6 pm. Interviews College of Technology, Stockholm: with mothers confirmed that children as young (a) A study of young children (of preschool as 21-3 years of age were let out alone, and that age), their play habits out of doors, and the mothers living in high rise flats had great number of times they went in and out alone difficulty in supervising their children. With with a play group or with an adult through the the exception of some whose children were too door of the building in which they lived, in young, all mothers said that they had spoken to relation to the planning of the building (high their children about traffic. The majority of rise or low rise blocks of flats). them believed that their children had under- (b) The main investigation which aimed at stood and could profit by the warnings. finding out where the children played, how far they wandered from home and how their area of activity and selection of play areas was affected Study of the spontaneous behaviour of Research Institute of by the planning of the housing environment. young children in traffic Child Psychology, This test was carried out partly as a random In the Autumn of 1960 the experiment was School ofEducation, investigation in various out of door continued. For a period of six weeks, observa- Stockholm, Sweden environments, and partly as an interview inves- tions were made in traffic environments in This paper first appeared in tigation among the mothers of young children different parts of Stockholm between the hours the Britishjournal of of 9 am and noon and 1 to 3 pm to see how Educational Psychology in the areas in question. (1970; 40: 111-6) and is (c) Field investigation of the attendance young children behaved when they were out reproduced by kind. at the communal alone. The observers noted every child under permission ofthe British habits of the children play- Psychological Society. grounds in one of the housing areas. school age who was seen unaccompanied by an Young children in traffic 113 adult. The whole situation was noted and a of the year groups. The investigation sketch made of the section of the street in confirmed the impression obtained from question with moving and parked vehicles. The previous studies that young children have great position of the observer and the child's route difficulty in playing their role of pedestrians. Inj Prev: first published as 10.1136/ip.1.2.112 on 1 June 1995. Downloaded from were plotted and finally the observer's own The children's behaviour with the model reaction was recorded. In this way a selection of material agreed to a great extent with their over 200 such traffic situations were recorded. actual behaviour in real traffic situations. They showed that children as young as 4 years Knowledge about right and left was still far of age were let out alone in the middle of from satisfactory even in 8 and 9 years old, as Stockholm and a shockingly high level of far as practical applications were concerned. immature behaviour was recorded. This pro- Half of the children in the 6 and 7 year age vided a background to a more systematic study, group were not in command of the model which was undertaken in 1961. Two nursery situation at road junctions. They forget, above schools were selected, having a similar traffic all, to look behind for turning vehicles, and situation but located in different parts of Stock- only half of the 8 and 9 year olds remembered holm. Eighty five children in the age group 4-7 this. Not even the simple testing of going were studied, half boys and half girls in each straight over a zebra crossing without any year group. (Compulsory schooling begins at 7 vehicles being involved was passed by more in Sweden.) Every day for a month the than half of the 6 year olds or three quarters of behaviour ofthe children was observed at street the 9 year olds. This investigation showed no corners near the nursery school both on arrival difference between boys and girls. On the other and departure from school. Records were kept hand there were obvious improvements with as in the previous investigation. Children were age. Examples of performance on 3 of the 49 observed crossing the street on 391 occasions, tasks or questions set are given in the table. roughly half in each observation area. No significant differences in the traffic behaviour of 4, 5, 6 and 7 year olds were observed. Fifty two The ability of young children to of the 85 children were observed on several perceive movements out of the corner occasions. Their behaviour was divided into of their eyes compared with the same three groups, bad, average and good. Twenty ability in adults three of the children were included in only one In 1960-1 work was also in progress on a of the groups, 20 within two, and nine in all general survey dealing with the ability of 6 year three. Thus the same child can be a good olds to perceive movements out ofthe corner of pedestrian one day, and bad one the next. The their with the same in eyes, compared ability http://injuryprevention.bmj.com/ behaviour ofgirls was much better than that of adults. This was carried out in cooperation boys. No difference was noted between with ophthalmologists, using a round piece of behaviour on arrival at school and on the way cardboard, 9 mm in diameter which was placed home, nor between moming and aftemoon in the field of vision.