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Updated: May 25, 2026

Using a Virtual Reality Walking Simulator to Investigate Pedestrian Behavior
Published on: June 9, 2020
Impact of a pilot walking school bus intervention on children's pedestrian safety behaviors: a pilot study
Jason A Mendoza1, Kathy Watson, Tzu-An Chen
1USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center, 1100 Bates St, Houston, TX 77030-2600, USA. jason.mendoza@bcm.edu
Abstract:
Walking school buses (WSB) increased children's physical activity, but impact on pedestrian safety behaviors (PSB) is unknown. We tested the feasibility of a protocol evaluating changes to PSB during a WSB program. Outcomes were school-level street crossing PSB prior to (Time 1) and during weeks 4-5 (Time 2) of the WSB. The protocol collected 1252 observations at Time 1 and 2548 at Time 2. Mixed model analyses yielded: intervention schoolchildren had 5-fold higher odds (p<0.01) of crossing at the corner/crosswalk but 5-fold lower odds (p<0.01) of stopping at the curb. The protocol appears feasible for documenting changes to school-level PSB.
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