Image: ÖAMTC
In 2023, 450 accidents involving personal injuries occurred on school routes in Austria. 494 children were injured nationwide. In Upper Austria, two children lost their lives and 74 were injured. A study using eye-tracking glasses commissioned by the ÖAMTC now shows major differences between younger (6-7 years) and older children (11-12 years). “The smaller children are generally unsure and often cling to older children when crossing. Older children behave in a similar way to adults. At traffic light-controlled intersections, however, everyone just stares at the green light and doesn’t check,” says ÖAMTC traffic psychologist Marion Seidenberger.
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Obstacles in the field of vision and zebra crossings that cross a cycle path also proved to be problematic. The mobility club expert is therefore calling for adaptations in the infrastructure and is appealing to all road users to be particularly careful at the start of school. “And for the first-graders, the rule is: practice, practice, practice, with helpful examples,” says Seidenberger.
Too much distance from the sidewalk edge, irrelevant line of sight
“Younger children aged six to seven years tend to wander with their eyes or look back and forth very quickly with a kind of windshield wiper look. Overall, they perceive unimportant things and too much – this information overload increases uncertainty. As a result, they cannot estimate distances and speed and have difficulty making decisions. Therefore, they often look to adults for guidance,” says Seidenberger.
Wrong decisions are also possible – children sometimes just set off spontaneously. “It is also problematic that smaller children stand too far away from the edge of the pavement. This means they cannot see into the intersection area and are often only noticed by others very late.”
Poor visibility due to obstacles
Obstacles such as rubbish bins, traffic signs or bushes in the intersection area exacerbate the problem. They mean that even those sitting higher up, such as cyclists and truck drivers, cannot see whether there are people in the area of intersections. An important component proved to be the different eye heights, with an average of 115 cm (6-7 year olds), 117 cm (car drivers), 141 cm (11-12 year olds), 171 cm (cyclists) and up to 181 cm (small truck drivers).
Image: ÖAMTC
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Image: ÖAMTC
Source: Nachrichten
