PEDESTRIAN EXPOSURE AND THE RISK OF CHILD PEDESTRIAN INJURY

The authors used data from the New Zealand Household Travel Survey to examine the extent to which children's pedestrian exposure varies with age, sex and household income. Pedestrian injury morbidity data were combined with pedestrian exposure data to examine age-specific pedestr ian injury risk. The annual number of road crossings for girls was gre ater than that for boys. Pedestrian exposure increased with increasing age. Children aged 5-9 years in the lowest household income bracket c rossed approximately 50% more roads than those in the middle and upper income brackets. However, for children aged 10-14 years there was lit tle variation with household income. Sex differences in pedestrian inj ury rates cannot be explained by differences in exposure although incr eased exposure may partly explain the increased injury rates for child ren in lower socio-economic groups. Prevention strategies might aim to reduce pedestrian exposure or alternatively to reduce pedestrian inju ry risk per unit of exposure by making safer urban living environments .