Children in traffic
Among road users children are a vulnerable group. After all, they are still developing the skills which will eventually make them responsible and independent road users. The questions are: how dangerous is traffic for children and has their safety changed in the last few years? Can the changes be explained and are further improvements possible?
These questions will be discussed here for the 0-14 year olds. The next age group, the 15-17 year olds, is discussed in the fact sheet about Young mopedists (pdf).
For more details see: Fact sheet Road safety of children in the Netherlands (pdf)
Safety
Relatively few road deaths among children
Compared with other age groups, relatively few 0-4 year old children are killed in road crashes in the
Many more older children are killed than younger children. During the 1999-2002 period, the annual mortality was 1.2 per 100,000 children for 0-4 years old, 1.6 for the 5-9 year olds, and 2.7 for the 10-14 year olds. This is an average of 6.5 per 100,000 for all ages. The larger number of casualties among the 10-14 year olds is caused by the victims aged 12 years and older. The casualty rate for 12 year olds was twice as high as for the 10-11 year olds, and this is also the case for the 13-14 year olds (1996-2002 period).
Modes of transport
Mainly pedestrian, cyclist, and car passenger
Children are mainly killed in traffic as pedestrian, cyclist, or car passenger. This nearly always happens in crashes with motor vehicles as collision opponent. For young pedestrians these are relatively often cars, and for young cyclists relatively often heavy vehicles like vans or lorries.
Children of 0-14 years old travel by far the most of their kilometres in a car, but this becomes increasingly less as they become older; the older they get, the more they cycle. Children in the ages12-14 even travel a third of their kilometres by bike. That is why this group has the highest crash rate.
Since 1994, parents increasingly take their children by car and less frequently allow them to travel independently. This could partly explain children's' increased safety.
Measures
Which measures contribute?
A number of measures to improve children's' road safety have already been taken in the last few years, or are being prepared. This explains to a large extent why children's' safety has increased since the early 1990s. However, the relative unsafety of older, cycling children requires extra attention from road safety policy. For example, the Sustainable Safety measures which are directly in favour of the vulnerable road users are important. These measures are: 30 km/hour zones, roundabouts, pedestrian crossings, and mopeds on the carriageway. Safety requires extra attention particularly in residential areas. It is important to keep striving for lower speeds in these areas, also when renewing or adjusting the infrastructure.
Whether or not a crash has a relatively favourable outcome is partly determined by a safe design of the car front. Both car fronts and their EU requirements can still be improved regarding collisions with bicycles. Systems improving vision such as blind spot mirrors and blind spot cameras help prevent an important crash type: that between a cyclist and a lorry turning the corner. In addition, protection devices such as the bicycle helmet still improve children's' safety. In cars we have the seatbelt, child seat, and booster seat.
For more details see:
Fact sheet Road safety of children in the Netherlands (pdf)
Fact sheet Seatbelts and child restraint seats
References
(SWOV reports in Dutch have an English summary)
Groenveld, J.P. & Bodewes, K. (2003). Gebruik van beveiligingsmiddelen in 2002; Onderzoek naar het gebruik van autogordels, hoofdsteunen en andere beveiligingsmiddelen in personenauto's en bestelauto's. Ministerie van Verkeer en Waterstaat, Adviesdienst Verkeer en Vervoer AVV, Heerlen.
OECD (2004). Keeping children safe in traffic. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development OECD,
Houwen, K. van der, Goossen, J. & Veling, I. (2002). Reisgedrag kinderen basisschool; eindrapport. TT 02-95. Traffic Test, Veenendaal.
Schoon, C.C. (2004). Cyclist – car front collisions; factors that influence occurrence and injury severity. R-2003-33. SWOV, Leidschendam. (In Dutch)