Road Safety

Children and Traffic

Why do children have problems cycling in traffic?

1. Children are small and often cannot see past the vehicles parked alongside a road.
2. Sight and hearing do not completely develop until the age of 9 or 10.
3. Young children are unable to judge the speed of an oncoming vehicle.
4. Young children believe they are more skilled than they actually are.
5. Children are impatient, especially when it comes to crossing a street.
6. Danger and risk are abstract concepts to youngsters. They may take a chance without weighing the consequences.
7. Children do not have driving experience; they are not used to dealing with traffic.
8. Young children are used to being supervised by adults; they entrust them with their safety.
9. Children have difficulty understanding complex situations and cannot concentrate on more than one thing at a time.
10. Young children often confuse fantasy and reality.
11. Young cyclists are often viewed as trespassers by other road users. In an effort to “escape traffic”, children can make a wrong move.