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Journal of Pediatric Psychology 29(5) pp. 369-377, 2004
Journal of Pediatric Psychology vol. 29 no. 5 © Society of Pediatric Psychology 2004; all rights reserved

Developmental Aspects of Children's Behavior and Safety While Cycling

Valdimar Briem, PhD, Karl Radeborg, PhD, Ilkka Salo, PhD and Hans Bengtsson, PhD

Department of Psychology, University of Lund, Sweden

All correspondence should be sent to Valdimar Briem, Department of Psychology, University of Lund, Box 213, S-221 00 Lund, Sweden. E-mail: Valdimar.Briem{at}psychology.lu.se

Objective To examine children's competence while cycling, as demonstrated in mistakes in performance and failure to comply with safety rules. Methods Children in three age groups (8, 10, and 12 years) participated in a realistic yet simulated traffic environment. Results The boys' cycling speed increased steadily with age, while that of the girls increased from 8 to 10 but decreased at age 12. Most children had adequate motor control by age 10, and the youngest compensated for their less developed skills by cycling slowly and braking early at junctions. Serious mistakes, often related to the children's age and gender, consisted of the children failing to stop at signals or stopping too late, especially at short stopping range. Conclusions There are considerable individual differences in children's cycling competence that are related to biological factors, such as age and gender, and psychological factors, such as rule compliance and choice of cycling speed.

Key words: children; cycling behavior; attention; safety rules; risk taking; traffic environment.


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