Explored adolescent seat belt use and psychosocial risk factors in urban minority population (n=541). Found seat belt use reported by 49 percent of respondents. Those reporting no or intermittent seat belt use were significantly more likely than seat belt users to feel down, have decreased home support, have problems with school and the law, and…

The roadside crossing judgments of children aged 7, 9, and 11 years were assessed relative to controls before and after training with a computer-simulated traffic environment. Trained children crossed more quickly, and their estimated crossing times became better aligned with actual crossing times. They crossed more promptly, missed fewer safe…

Objective: To determine whether an early intervention using a psychological debriefing format is effective in preventing psychological distress in child road traffic accident survivors. Design: Randomised controlled trial. Setting: Accident and Emergency Department, Royal United Hospital, Bath. Subjects: 158 children aged 7-18. Follow-up…

This study investigated the effects of second language (L2) proficiency and task-induced cognitive workload on participants' speech production and retention of information in an environment designed to simulate the demands faced by pilots receiving instructions from air-traffic controllers. Three groups of 20 participants (one…

This document describes a study that used the "critical incident technique" to define and produce a descriptive classification of safe and unsafe driving behavior exhibited by adults and to organize these descriptions for use in older driver improvement courses and other educational activities. An introduction describes the study's…

Studied dual participants (N=2,525), multiple offender drinking driver program participants who also attend non-drinking driver alcohol treatment programs. Findings support need for drinking driver programs to be aware of high risk dual participants and for alcohol-related treatment programs to provide drinking and driving education to all dual…

Examined children's auditory perception of traffic sounds, focusing on identification of vehicle movement. Subjects were 60 children of 5, 8, and 11 years. Results indicated that the auditory perception of movement was a problem area for children, especially five-year olds. Discussed the role of attention-demanding characteristics of some traffic…

Observes the extent to which pedestrians checked for oncoming traffic before crossing signal-controlled intersections on busy city streets. Pedestrians over the age of 50 were the most cautious, especially under dangerous traffic conditions. Older pedestrians were least likely to use other pedestrians as "guides" to safety, instead…

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which parents intend to place driving limits on adolescents approaching unsupervised driving. A total of 658 parents and their 16-year-old adolescents were recruited from a local Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration site as adolescents successfully tested for provisional licenses. Parents…

A study was conducted to investigate the traffic engineering factors that influence speed variance and to determine to what extent speed variance affects accident rates. Detailed analyses were carried out to relate speed variance with posted speed limit, design speeds, and other traffic variables. The major factor identified was the difference…

The hypothesis of this study was that installation and use of seat belts in all large school buses are needed to prevent injuries and deaths to children in accidents as a result of no seat belts. Basic questions and summary arguments for and against the use of seat belts are listed. An analysis of research studies done on seat belts in school…

This report is a synopsis of the findings of a nine-month research study into the beliefs, attitudes, and behavior of both adults and high school youth involved in the use of alcoholic beverages and driving. A questionnaire was administered to a nationally projectable samply of 1,660 adults between the ages of 18 and 55 and to a representative…

Introduction of prompts in the form of specific signs and stop line bars at a crosswalk was designed to influence motorists to stop further back when yielding right-of-way to pedestrians, and resulted in an almost 80 percent reduction in motor vehicle-pedestrian conflicts at the selected location. (JW)

A study investigated the efficacy of using the Buddy Road Kit, an interactive, wooden model, to teach environmental concepts to 4 children with visual impairments ages 7 to 11 years old. Results indicate the model was effective in teaching environmental concepts and traffic safety to the children involved. (Contains references.) (CR)

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effectiveness of most to least prompting on teaching pedestrian skills to individuals with developmental disabilities. Five individuals with developmental disabilities were taught three different pedestrian skills, all related to crossing the streets, using simulation activities on a road model…