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#Association for Psychological Science >> Why kids get hit by cars
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Why kids get hit by cars
Tags:
* Child Development
* Perception
* Vision
school.xing2 Getting hit by a car is the third leading cause of death
for kids 5- to 9-years-old, and kids up to age 15 make up a
disproportionate number of pedestrian casualties worldwide. It's not
hard to think of reasons for this scary statistic: Children are easily
distracted and don't always pay attention, and they are also smaller,
so they're more likely to sustain fatal injuries when they are hit. But
there may be another, even more basic, reason for this childhood peril:
Kids simply don't see the cars coming.
The ability to see and avoid looming objects is a fundamental skill,
crucial to survival not only for humans but for most animals. We take
it for granted because we do it automatically, but it's actually a
complex skill, requiring a rapid calculation of size and distance and
velocity. Add to this the fact that we pedestrians are also in motion,
and must figure in our own walking speed, and it's no surprise that
even adults get clipped sometimes. New evidence is now showing that
kids' perceptual abilities are slow to develop, making them less adept
at this crucial calculation.
Psychological scientist John Wann and his colleagues at the University
of London ran a laboratory simulation of regular street crossing in
order to compare the perceptual skills of adults with those of children
of various ages. In this realistic simulation, a car approached on a
roadway, sometimes varying in size and speed; sometimes the subjects
saw the car directly in front of them, and other times off to the side
a bit, and they reported whether the image of the car expanded or
stayed the same. The scientists also calculated the subjects' walking
speed, and factored their movement into a calculation of their
perception of the approaching car's looming threat.
school.xing They found a clear developmental pattern in perception of
the looming vehicles. As reported on-line in the journal Psychological
Science, the kids showed clear improvement in their acuity with age,
but even the older children did not match the adults in their ability
to detect an automobile's approach, suggesting that the neural
mechanisms for this skill remain undeveloped. Paradoxically, faster
moving cars appear to loom less than slow moving cars, creating a
dangerous illusion that speedy cars are not approaching. Indeed, the
scientists determined that children could not reliably detect a car
approaching at speeds higher than 20 miles per hour. What's more, the
kids' perception of a car's approach was worse if the car was even
slightly off to the side--a realistic condition for typical road
crossing--or if they themselves were in motion, as they likely would
be.
Driving 20 miles per hour is really slow. Try it sometime. But it's
typically the speed we're supposed to drive in school zones, and there
are many other locations--residential areas, for example--where kids
are also vulnerable. These new findings fit with evidence that kids are
three times as likely to get hit by a car when traffic speed exceeds 25
miles an hour, and now we know why. Not only do speedy drivers need
more reaction time, now it appears that young pedestrians simply can't
see the cars coming in the first place. It can be a deadly combination.
Wray Herbert's book, On Second Thought: Outsmarting Your Mind's
Hard-Wired Habits, has been published by Crown. Excerpts from his two
blogs--"Full Frontal Psychology" and "We're Only Human"--appear
regularly in Scientific American Mind and in The Huffington Post.
March 15, 2011
Comments
Jeanette March 10, 2012
You forgot to mention, that no matter which way you slice it, ALL
pedestrians/bicyclists have the right of way. The driver should always
be held responsible for hitting someone. If studies show that kids have
slower reaction times, it does not matter. Too many children are hit
and killed (or injured) by cars. NO! Not by cars, that is the
equivalent of saying that guns kill people. Children are being killed
by PEOPLE Driving Cars. It is unacceptable. When we acquire a driver's
license, we are saying that we will take responsibility for our actions
behind the wheel.
http://www.news10.net/news/article/162381/2/Auto-v-pedestrian-accident-
claims-9-year-old-in-Marysville
There is no excuse good enough to give to a parent or family member,
and `she's small and has bad reaction times' is not a good enough one.
My niece was killed by a driver, not a car. The car was just the object
used to kill her. I may be a little biased, but this one hits close to
home. And I do know that I feel the same way no matter what.
Reply
andrew lyendecker August 6, 2017
What if a child runs out into traffic chasing a ball. I think the
author is not trying to place blame but rather trying to describe the
maturation process of the ability to be in the moment.
Reply
andrew lyendecker August 6, 2017
I would like to reply
Reply
andrew lyendecker August 6, 2017
Moderation?
Reply
Julie March 23, 2012
As a parent who has also hit a child riding a bike I disagree 100% with
the above writer. The child that I hit was crossing the crosswalk when
it was red for him. Blocking my view was a semi who saw the child in
the right lane and I was in the left lane (5 lane road). The light had
been green for me, I was following speed limits and was found 100% NOT
at fault. The child went in front of the semi and was in front of me
without ANY warning as the semi was blocking my view of the crosswalk
(keeping in mind the light was green for me). I had approached the
crosswalk going 20 MPH, the light turned green 500 yards from the
intersection. It was horrifying and, by far, the worst incident that I
have ever experienced. Luckily, the child (who also was not wearing a
helmet) was ok other than a slight concussion. He was honestly very
lucky to be alive. I am sharing my story because parents ALSO need to
teach children that cars can KILL and to obey traffic signals and laws.
I am a careful driver who has never been in an accident other than this
and had 1 ticket in my 18 years of driving. Accidents happen sadly.
Reply
Rachel Piccione March 5, 2017
Yeah the parents dont pay attention so thats there falt for their kids
getting hurt. At Walmart this giy hit a 5 year old girl and he was
saying that sje is not hirt by the way the car hit her and the mother
was no where to be seen she was left at Walmart and she went in to the
street and got hit by the car.
Reply
Ashley C May 11, 2017
My almost 4 year old was hit by a car yesterday I feel like the worse
mom in the world. She survived with only bruising and a slight skull
fracture.
Reply
Donna p January 26, 2014
Parents have to take the blame because they send young kids out into
the street alone way too young!!!
Reply
Betania February 2, 2014
I only read this article because Im having a problem with people coming
to a toddler park that is surrounded by busy streets and leaving the
gates open. This park is in a shape of a triangle and each side has
streets with zooming cars going by. I try to mention to the people
about the children being in danger by leaving the gates open but it
doesnt seem to sink in. I even find some parents doing it! This park
has newborns to 5 year olds playing at the park all the time. Does
anyone have any advice?
Reply
Amy Angell January 23, 2015
Every morning I see that a child is getting hit by a car, this is scary
and its not all the kids fault .Its people in a hurry on there phones..
Walking my kids to school one morning I too was almost clipped by a car
going about 50 miles per hour , she never slowed down even though she
could clearly see me almost across the walk and I just made it to the
sidewalk before she almost hit me.... I should have had plenty of time
acording to how far back she was.....
Reply
Jayleen March 11, 2015
I hit a young child in a cross walk yesterday. Clearly the most
devastating moment of my life. I too, am a careful driver. One ticket
in my life. I stopped and the child was running in the cross walk.
Thank the lord above, he is most likely going to be ok. He wasn't
crying,was talking and moving. knew his name and his teachers name. no
broken bones. He had a big bruise on his head. A little blood from
being scratched, but no other bleeding. police and paramedic said he'd
be ok, just banged up. If he would of died, i don't know what I would
of done.
Reply
Lacey Heath October 22, 2015
I am not going to try and argue with anyone on here. I am simply going
to say how i feel over the whole thing. My brother was hit by a car
about three weeks ago and when it happened i had went to the bathroom.
I blame myself entirely for what happened to him. I am only sixteen and
to be honest that was horrifying for me. i had to ride in the ambulance
and helicopter and did not leave his side once. my parents were at work
and i had to watch my four younger siblings. the women that hit him was
only worried about herself. She said and i quote " thank god i m not
going to jail" once she realized he wasn't dead. she told the police
that she saw him, she was going about 30 so she really did some damage.
He is still in the hospital. I blame her but not entirely because i
should have been there.
Reply
Tristan Pasciak April 24, 2016
I had had a bike accident with a kid that ran out I front of me and I
skitted and slid into him when I came to a halt. I was not at fault
because the parent was not watching her kid. The kid was not injured
neither was I. Yet to this day kids are not entirely being supervised
by parents, they are too busy partying or talking to other people. Some
parents think that "oh its a bike it won't hit my child". But when they
see a car they say "Car!". My advice is if you have a child playing in
the street, look for bikes and cars. If you are in a car, honk for
attention.
Reply
Mike September 10, 2016
Schools and parents should be doing more to teach kids street safety
when walking on the sidewalk and crossing the street. This used to be
done, but these days, it has been replaced with stop signs on the sides
of buses and the end result is the kids don't really learn any of the
skills they need to learn. I think the school system is just as much to
blame as the parents are in most cases. Kids don't even look both ways
anymore. They just run across the street like they do when the bus is
there to protect them, but when there's no bus, bad things happen.
Reply
Colleen Salsbury September 16, 2016
My daughter was hit by a car and dragged 23 feet under the tire.Due to
security cameras, we were able to see that she had looked both ways and
did what she had been taught to do. The driver(who worked at a daycare
down the street from us) wasn't looking at the road and never saw her
until she hit her. My daughter was 7 at the time. From the knee down on
her right leg, there was nothing but bone. The woman never apologized,
she went so far as to blame my daughter! I feel so bad for anyone who
had this happen, both driver and victim. I just wish that this person
could have apologized or shown any remorse at all. Our medical bills
after five years ( and counting) have reached over 1.5 million. 19
surgeries and counting, and still no remorse. Please just drive slower
and watch carefully, an accident is just that, an accident. Remember
the mortality code, children under the age of 10, cannot grasp the
understanding that they could die. No one wins in this tragedy...they
all lose!
Reply
bobby October 30, 2016
I hit a 4 year old children half year ago. I was driving on the road
with 2 lanes. I'm driving in right lane. The father trying to take the
children walk against the traffic. He claim in the police report that
his cell phone fall down. He go to pick it up and therefore he didn't
hold his children hand. The taxi in the left lane see they want to
cross the road and therefore stop. When I'm behind the taxi, I check
again and again no one is going to cross the road. Then the children
suddenly run in front of my car. I quickly turn my car and fortunately
I didn't hit him directly. He's going to be ok although he get a broken
right leg.
Reply
Jonathan L Heckrote February 13, 2017
I don't understand. I was trying to explain to my 6 year old daughter.
The importance of car safety weather it was her walking somewhere
someday. Or the response abilities of a driver and I was explaining how
kids get hit all the time. And she ask how many kids get hit a day. So
I tried to look it up and I can not find any information. You would
think that something like that would be available. If any body knows of
even if anybody knows why the info is unavailable could you let me
know.
Reply
Kara Colclough March 23, 2017
I read a year or more ago that every 20 seconds a child is hit by a car
in London (UK)
Reply
Tina jones August 2, 2017
My daughter gothit by a car that mounted the pavement while she was
waiting for lights to change at a pelican crossing. She has had 30
hours of surgery, she had to have above knee amputation or she would
have died. She has numerous metal work and will be in hospital for
weeks and rehab for months, plus I may have to give up my job to look
after her
Reply
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