Influences on pedestrian risk-taking in young adolescents: the conflicting role of parents and peers

The available evidence suggests that, generally speaking, on tests ranging from the choice of crossing routes to the use of designated crossings, children first approach adult levels of pedestrian skill around the age of 10–12 years. The peak age for pedestrian accidents in the UK occurs after this, however, between 12 and 15 years. It is clear that, without a better understanding of the factors at work and how these operate, it is hard to discern what steps might be taken to improve pedestrian vulnerability in this age group.

The first study was designed to test the hypothesis of the emergence of a discrepancy between perceived and actual pedestrian skills following the transition to secondary school.

The key goals were to:
• assess the actual pedestrian skills of adolescents aged 11–15 years;
• compare these with measures of their perceived pedestrian skills;
• consider how the relationship between actual and perceived skill changes, especially across the transition from primary to secondary school; and
• examine how this relationship compares with that found among adults.

Study one findings
Preliminary analysis showed that performance at the roadside and on the computer simulations was well related on key shared indices. Individuals’ scores on these, relative to each other, were roughly equivalent across the two settings, confirming that the computer tasks accurately estimated actual roadside skills.

Study two collected data from a single sample of 12–15-year-olds on all these various potential influences. Measures of each were then analysed for their relation to subsequent individual self-reports of actual behaviour.

Study two findings
Young adolescents’ attitudes were, on balance, positive towards cautious pedestrian behaviour and negative towards risky actions, though the balance shifted slightly with age towards being less negative about risk. Perceived approval/disapproval of the different behaviours followed a similar profile, albeit without the drift towards risk. Parental norms were similar in pattern to approval, although adolescents reported parental behaviour as being a little less biased towards caution overall. Peers, in contrast, were seen as substantially more likely to engage in risky behaviour than parents, especially by 15-year-olds: this age group reported peers as being marginally more likely to engage in risky behaviour than in cautious behaviour.