The Exposure of Children to Traffic in Melbourne

Although pedestrian injury is a major cause of childhood morbidity and mortality, little is known about the determinants of child pedestrian injury rates. In particular we lack reliable measures of children's exposure to traffic. In collaboration with an international group this study aimed to obtain population-based estimates of children's traffic exposure, in particular the numbers of streets crossed per day, by performing a questionnaire-based survey in a random sample of primary schools in Melbourne. The questionnaires sought details of walking activity by children in Years 1 and 4, for the day of the survey. Key results were that children crossed an average of 3.6 streets per day and only 30% of children walked to school. The strongest socio-demographic predictor of exposure was car ownership.

Type: Research and Analysis Report

Sub Type: Grant

Author(s): Carlin, Bennet & Nolan

Topics: Child, Exposure, Pedestrian

Publication Date: 01/01/95

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