Evaluating pedestrian safety education materials for children ages five to nine

How well do pedestrian safety materials meet the educational needs of children ages five-nine? The National Safety Council sought to answer this question in assembling such materials in development of a national program on pedestrian safety. To do this, the Council relied heavily on information suggested by accident and evaluation research. The information then was incorporated in a set of criteria that formed the basis for an evaluative review structure. This article provides an overview of the major child pedestrian accident types, behavior patterns, and suggested solutions identified by past research, outlines the procedure used to collect and review existing materials, and describes results of the Council's effort to select high-quality pedestrian safety education materials for use in the program. Safety education needs and priorities of the child pedestrian are discussed.