Research
Child Pedestrian Safety: The Problem

Hundreds of children die each year from pedestrian-related injuries. In 1999 alone, 733 children ages 14 and under died as pedestrians. In 2000, nearly 44,600 children were treated in hospital emergency rooms for pedestrian-related injuries. Nearly 73 percent of these deaths and 80 percent of these injuries were traffic-related.

During the past decade, there has been a significant decline in child pedestrian deaths and injuries. According to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the rate of traffic-related pedestrian deaths among children ages 14 and under declined 49 percent from 1990 to 2000. The injury rate decreased 36 percent. Much of this decline is due to decreased exposure of child pedestrians to traffic, educational programs, increased law enforcement and ongoing efforts to improve pedestrian environments.

Who's Dying?

Young children are at greatest risk for pedestrian death. Children ages 9 and under have a pedestrian death rate 20 percent higher than children ages 10 to 14. Younger children (ages 4 and under) are more likely to suffer nontraffic-related pedestrian injuries, including those occurring in driveways, in parking lots and on sidewalks. These types of incidents account for 37 percent of pedestrian-related deaths for this age group.

Male children are most at risk for pedestrian-related death, with a death rate 57 percent higher than female children. Nearly two-thirds of childhood pedestrian deaths are among males. Black children are also at a disproportionately higher risk, with a pedestrian injury death rate more than twice that of white children.

When and Where?

After school and at dusk are the most dangerous times for child pedestrians. In 2000, 43 percent of child pedestrians killed in traffic crashes were hit between 4 and 8 p.m. At this time of day, children are traveling home from extracurricular activities and playing in residential areas.

Urban areas have twice the rate of traffic-related pedestrian deaths as rural areas. Child pedestrian injuries occur more often in residential areas and on local roads that are straight, paved and dry. Children are more likely to be walking in urban and residential areas, which increase their exposure to traffic threats.

In 2000, 81 percent of traffic-related childhood pedestrian deaths occurred at nonintersection  locations. Contributing factors include a child's tendency to dart into the street without looking for oncoming traffic and little instruction for children on the right way to cross the street. A recent report indicated that 90 percent of children ages 5 to 12 surveyed in San Diego schools did not know the proper way to cross a street - at the curb using crosswalks and signals, when available.

Why?

Children under age 10 are particularly vulnerable to pedestrian injuries because they are exposed to traffic threats that exceed their cognitive, developmental, behavioral, physical and sensory abilities. This is exacerbated by the fact that parents often overestimate their children's pedestrian skills. Children of these ages are impulsive and have not yet developed the skills to judge how far away a car is and how quickly it is approaching. Usually, these skills develop gradually and are not fully mastered until at least age 10.

Traffic environments also contribute to the frequency and severity of pedestrian-related crashes. Children are more likely to get hit by cars in areas with high traffic volume, a higher number of parked cars on the street, higher posted speed limits, absence of a divided highway, few pedestrian-control devices and few alternative play areas, such as parks.

WALKABILITY AND SPEEDING SURVEYS

In 2001, the National SAFE KIDS Campaign collected and analyzed data from more than 9,000 walkability checks completed by parents and children across the country. The walkability check, developed with NHTSA and the Partnership for a Walkable America, is a tool to gather critical information about a pedestrian environment. The survey findings reveal that nearly 60 percent of parents and children encountered at least one serious hazard along their routes to school. Common hazards included the lack of a sidewalk or crosswalk, wide roads, complicated traffic conditions, improper parking and speeding drivers.

Speeding is especially a problem in school zones. In 1999, a National SAFE KIDS Campaign survey found that two-thirds of drivers exceeded the posted speed limit in school zones during the 30-minute period before and after school. If drivers are speeding in these locations, where traffic-calming measures such as speed tables and lower speed limits are common, then it is likely that speeding is also a problem in residential areas, where traffic calming is less typical.

Introduction

Call to Action

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