Children’s safe routes to school: Real and perceived risks, and evidence of an incapacity-incapability space
There is a general consensus that children and adolescents should ideally travel to school actively and independently. Yet, in many parts of the world, real and perceived traffic risks represent a major barrier to walking, cycling, or the use of scooters. As the perspectives of children and adolesce...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Journal of Cycling and Micromobility Research |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S295010592400010X |
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| author | Stefan Gössling Jessica Kees Rafael Hologa Nils Riach Rul von Stülpnagel |
| author_facet | Stefan Gössling Jessica Kees Rafael Hologa Nils Riach Rul von Stülpnagel |
| author_sort | Stefan Gössling |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | There is a general consensus that children and adolescents should ideally travel to school actively and independently. Yet, in many parts of the world, real and perceived traffic risks represent a major barrier to walking, cycling, or the use of scooters. As the perspectives of children and adolescents on perceived dangers are insufficiently understood, this quantitative-qualitative study compares injury data for 2019–2021 with questionnaires answered by school management (n=40 school managers) and focus-group interviews with students aged 6–17 (n=40) in the city of Freiburg, Germany. The triangulation indicates that a significant number of collisions and injuries in traffic appear to go unreported, and that school routes are characterized by insecurity and perceived dangers. The analysis suggests that perceptions of risk change with age, and in reflection of influences including cognitive ability and motor skills, social environment and attitudes, transport mode, and technology adoption. Results are conceptualized as an incapacity-incapability space, indicating that relative risk exposure is highest for younger children (5–9 years), and for teenagers (12–16 years). Findings have implications for the study of traffic risks, urban design and transport planning and policy. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-50285f6097a24ed9a1193af8ed04807d |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2950-1059 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Cycling and Micromobility Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-50285f6097a24ed9a1193af8ed04807d2024-11-29T06:26:43ZengElsevierJournal of Cycling and Micromobility Research2950-10592024-12-012100019Children’s safe routes to school: Real and perceived risks, and evidence of an incapacity-incapability spaceStefan Gössling0Jessica Kees1Rafael Hologa2Nils Riach3Rul von Stülpnagel4School of Business and Economics, Linnaeus University, Kalmar 39182 Sweden; Western Norway Research Institute, PO Box 163, Sogndal 6851, Norway; Corresponding author at: School of Business and Economics, Linnaeus University, Kalmar 39182 Sweden.School of Business and Economics, Linnaeus University, Kalmar 39182 SwedenPhysical Geography, University of Freiburg, Schreiberstraße 20, Freiburg 79085, Germany; T3 Transportation Think Tank gGmbh, Clayallee 177, Berlin 14195, GermanyPhysical Geography, University of Freiburg, Schreiberstraße 20, Freiburg 79085, Germany; T3 Transportation Think Tank gGmbh, Clayallee 177, Berlin 14195, GermanyCenter for Cognitive Science, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Hebelstr. 10, Freiburg 79104, GermanyThere is a general consensus that children and adolescents should ideally travel to school actively and independently. Yet, in many parts of the world, real and perceived traffic risks represent a major barrier to walking, cycling, or the use of scooters. As the perspectives of children and adolescents on perceived dangers are insufficiently understood, this quantitative-qualitative study compares injury data for 2019–2021 with questionnaires answered by school management (n=40 school managers) and focus-group interviews with students aged 6–17 (n=40) in the city of Freiburg, Germany. The triangulation indicates that a significant number of collisions and injuries in traffic appear to go unreported, and that school routes are characterized by insecurity and perceived dangers. The analysis suggests that perceptions of risk change with age, and in reflection of influences including cognitive ability and motor skills, social environment and attitudes, transport mode, and technology adoption. Results are conceptualized as an incapacity-incapability space, indicating that relative risk exposure is highest for younger children (5–9 years), and for teenagers (12–16 years). Findings have implications for the study of traffic risks, urban design and transport planning and policy.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S295010592400010XChildrenRoutes to schoolSubjective traffic risksTransport planningTransport policy |
| spellingShingle | Stefan Gössling Jessica Kees Rafael Hologa Nils Riach Rul von Stülpnagel Children’s safe routes to school: Real and perceived risks, and evidence of an incapacity-incapability space Journal of Cycling and Micromobility Research Children Routes to school Subjective traffic risks Transport planning Transport policy |
| title | Children’s safe routes to school: Real and perceived risks, and evidence of an incapacity-incapability space |
| title_full | Children’s safe routes to school: Real and perceived risks, and evidence of an incapacity-incapability space |
| title_fullStr | Children’s safe routes to school: Real and perceived risks, and evidence of an incapacity-incapability space |
| title_full_unstemmed | Children’s safe routes to school: Real and perceived risks, and evidence of an incapacity-incapability space |
| title_short | Children’s safe routes to school: Real and perceived risks, and evidence of an incapacity-incapability space |
| title_sort | children s safe routes to school real and perceived risks and evidence of an incapacity incapability space |
| topic | Children Routes to school Subjective traffic risks Transport planning Transport policy |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S295010592400010X |
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