Research Papers (2009 – 2013)

Abstract

In this study we compare child pedestrian injury rates on one-way versus two-way streets and examine whether the characteristics of child pedestrian injuries differ between one-way and two-way streets. The rates of injury per child population, per kilometer, per year were calculated by age, sex and socio-economic status (SES) using local traffic and census data. Characteristics of the injured children, the environment and the drivers were investigated by street type. The rate of child pedestrian injury was 2.5 times higher on one-way streets than on two-way streets. Children from the lowest income neighborhoods had an injury rate almost 3 times higher than children from the highest income neighborhoods. Characteristics of child pedestrian injuries such as SES, injury severity, month of injury, number of lanes, accident location and type of traffic control were also found to be significantly different between one-way and two-way streets. One-way streets have higher rates of child pedestrian injuries than two-way streets in this community. Future risk factor and intervention studies should include the directionality of streets to further investigate its contribution to child pedestrian injuries.

Wazana A, Torrance VL, Raina P, Krueger P, Chambers LW