Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that between 2012 and 2021, 922 American children ages 7 to 12 were killed in a pedestrian crash. With road traffic injuries being the leading cause of death among children globally, it is vital to teach young people proper street-crossing skills to ensure they are prepared to safely, and confidently, navigate traffic on foot.
David Schwebel, Ph.D., associate vice president for Research Facilities and Infrastructure at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, developed an immersive virtual reality kiosk simulator and a smartphone mobile application to offer repeated street crossing practice and overcome ethical barriers of training children in live traffic.
Schwebel used this technology in his study to address two questions: How much training do children require to achieve adult street crossing competency? and what might help children acquire that competency earlier? The research is published in the Journal of Safety Research.
„Results from our study show that, on average, it took 10 sessions, or five hours of training, for the children to achieve mastery at adult levels of pedestrian behavior,“ said Schwebel, who is also the director of the UAB Youth Safety Lab in the College of Arts and Sciences. „There was no clear indication that traits some children may possess, like strong cognitive or perceptual skills, are essential to learning skills. Every single child learned.“
The randomized trial studied 500 children ages 7 and 8.
With all measured variables taken together, the study showed the only factor in achieving pedestrian skills faster was the child’s age. Older children mastered pedestrian ability slightly faster than younger ones, but almost all children in the study achieved adult pedestrian abilities.
With all measured variables taken together, the study showed the only factor in achieving pedestrian skills faster was the child’s age. Older children mastered pedestrian ability slightly faster than younger ones, but almost all children in the study achieved adult pedestrian abilities.
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https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-08-virtual-reality-children-adult-pedestrian.html
