Citation

Meyer S, Sagberg F, Torquato R. Transp. Res. F Traffic Psychol. Behav. 2014; 26: 190-198.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.trf.2014.07.007

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

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.