ATTITUDES TO ROAD SAFETY AND THINK ROAD SAFETY CAMPAIGNS

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ATTITUDES TO ROAD SAFETY AND THINK! ROAD SAFETY
CAMPAIGNS
Prepared For The Department for Transport
Prepared By Mark Ratcliff and Siobhan
Bouchier-Hayes MURMUR (44) 020 7733 1706
info_at_murmurresearch.com www.murmurresearch.com
Version (v1.0)
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CONTENTS
6 7 8 11 12 14 15 17 22 23 26 28 31 34 41 42 47 49

BACKGROUND RESEARCH OBJECTIVES RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY AND SAMPLE MAIN FINDINGS TOP 15
POINTS TO THINK ABOUT SECTION A ROAD SAFETY
1. URBAN VERSUS RURAL AND ETHNIC
DISADVANTAGED OVERVIEW 2. ROAD SAFETY AS A
CONCERN FOR PARENTS AND CHILDREN 3. ROAD
SAFETY PEDESTRIANS 3.1 OVERVIEW 3.2 WHAT
THEY KNOW OR WHAT THEY DONT KNOW 3.3 WHERE
THEY LEARN 3.4 WHAT PARENTS TEACH ABOUT SAFETY
3.5 PEDESTRIAN RISK 4. ROAD SAFETY AND
CYCLING 4.1 OVERVIEW 4.2 WHAT THEY KNOW OR
WHAT THEY DONT KNOW 4.3 CYCLIST RISK
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CONTENTS cont.
52 53 54 55 58 59 63 66 69 73 74 77 78 79 80 83 8
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• 5. IN CAR ISSUES
• 5.1 OVERVIEW OF HOW RURAL VS. URBAN, ETHNIC
  VS. DISADVANTAGED VS.
• MIDDLE CLASS IMPACTS ON IN CAR ISSUES
• 5.2 OPINION FORMER OVERVIEW OF THE VERY
  BIGGEST ISSUES
• 5.3 SAFETY IN THE PARENTAL CAR
• 5.4 IN CAR RISK
• 5.4.1 WHAT SCARES CHILDREN AND TEENAGERS IN CAR
• 5.4.2 MORE ON PARENTAL EXAMPLE
• 5.4.3 RISKY DRIVING BY MATES
• LEARNING TO DRIVE
• SECTION B CURRENT CAMPAIGNS
• CURRENT COMMUNICATIONS WHATS CUTTING THROUGH
• HEDGEHOGS TV
• 2.1 HEDGEHOGS TV TEMPERATURE OF RESPONSE
• 2.2 HEDGEHOGS TV POSITIVES
• 2.3 HEDGEHOGS TV ISSUES
• 2.4 HEDGEHOGS TV TARGET
• 2.5 HEDGEHOGS TV COMPREHENSION AND
  COMMUNICATIONS

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CONTENTS cont.
87 89 90 97 98 99 100 102 103 104 105 106 108
109 110 112 113 115
3. HEDGEHOGS POSTERS 4. HEDGEHOGS
SUPPORTING MATERIALS 5 HEDGEHOGS
LITERATURE 6. HEDGEHOGS CYCLING 7.
CAMERA PHONE TV 7.1 CAMERA PHONE TV
TEMPERATURE OF RESPONSE 7.2 CAMERA PHONE TV
POSITIVES 7.3 CAMERA PHONE TV ISSUES 7.4
CAMERA PHONE TV TARGET 7.5 CAMERA PHONE
TV COMPREHENSION AND COMMUNICATION 7.6 CAMERA
PHONE TV IMPACT 8. CAMERA PHONE
POSTERS 9. SKULLS 10. PREFERENCES RE
WHERE FIND SAFETY MESSAGES SECTION C TOWARDS
OPTIMISATION 1. ALL AGE GROUPS 1.1 ALL
AGE GROUPS CONTENT 1.2 ALL AGE GROUPS
STYLE
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CONTENTS cont.
118 120 121 124 125 126 127 131 133
135 137
1.3 ALL AGE GROUPS OTHER ISSUES 2.
YOUNGER 2.1 YOUNGER CONTENT 2.2 YOUNGER
STYLE 2.3 YOUNGER OTHER ISSUES 3.
OLDER 3.1 OLDER CONTENT 3.2 OLDER
STYLE 4. PARENTS 5. A NOTE ON PRINT
SUMMARY COMMUNICATIONS CHART WHAT
COMMUNICATIONS CAN DO
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BACKGROUND

• By the year 2010 the government wants to reduce
  road deaths and serious injuries by 40, or 50
  for children. The THINK! Campaign is one of the
  measures that is being utilised to help meet
  these targets
• The THINK! campaign is an umbrella brand that
  links all road safety messages and has been up
  and running since June 2000
• The ultimate aim of the THINK! campaign is to
  push people towards recognising that it is often
  the small things they do that causes accidents on
  the roads and that there are simple steps that
  can be taken that will reduce risk
• Research indicates that the THINK! brand now has
  wide recognition and the challenge is to build on
  the campaign to get across specific messages
  which will engender behavioural change amongst 4
  16 year olds
• A number of campaigns have run that specifically
  target teenagers and children and research is
  ultimately required to review existing activity
  aimed at these target groups as well as how
  communications with them might best be optimised

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RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

• Research objectives primarily revolve around
• Reviewing existing road safety communications
  aimed at children (7 10 year olds)
• Reviewing existing road safety communications
  aimed at teenagers (11 16 year olds) and
  identifying other possible routes for
  communication
• Exploring the need for a separate marketing
  approach for 10 11 year olds during the
  transition from primary to secondary school
• To investigate how communications with teens and
  children can be improved
• To ensure the key messages in current and future
  campaigns appeal and resonate across both
  audiences
• To explore the possibility of linking cycling and
  pedestrian safety into a single campaign that
  would be flexible enough to work with both
  children and teens and within that males and
  females
• More specifically to investigate
• Teenagers and childrens attitudes towards road
  safety and risk taking (including why take risks
  and what the attractions of dangerous games like
  chicken are)
• The role parents play in road safety education
• The impact gender, age, attitudes and lifestyle
  have on road safety behaviour
• The role peers play in road safety behaviour
• How road safety can compete with the fact that
  other issues such as sex, exams, drugs and
  alcohol are taking a greater share of mind
• What tone is most appropriate to use when talking
  about road safety

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RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND SAMPLE

• Respondent Methodology
• Groups, paired depths and one-on-one interviews
  were conducted as per below
• 3 x opinion former interviews
• Senior police person Annie Mitchener
• RSO at Milton Keynes Kevin Clinton
• David Frost at Royal Society for Prevention of
  Accidents
• Plus a number of road safety experts were spoken
  with over the course of briefing conversations.
  In a couple of cases these mutated into extended
  interviews
• 30 x groups and 4 x paired depth immersion
  studies

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RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND SAMPLE cont.
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RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND SAMPLE cont.
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• MAIN FINDINGS

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TOP 15 POINTS TO THINK ABOUT

• 1. In urban environments, for disadvantaged and
  significant numbers of ethnic respondents, the
  scale of violence and crime currently puts issues
  relating to road safety into the shade
• 2. Significant numbers of ethnic and
  disadvantaged respondents are on their own on the
  streets from the age of 7 and up
• 3. Rural respondents are much more conscious of
  road safety, both as pedestrians and as cyclists,
  than their suburban and urban counterparts sense
  of it being a real threat
• 4. The scale of risky/bad behaviour in cars
  among teenagers when they are with their peers is
  not to be underestimated eg put bag over head of
  driver on motorway
• 5. Children and teenagers pick up bad cues from
  their parents across pedestrian and in car in
  fact parents who drive fast or perform dubious
  manoeuvres can be treated as role models, versus
  a significant number of girls are too scared to
  challenge their parents if they drive dangerously
  
• 6. Disadvantaged role models re learning to
  drive are often risk takers e.g. roll a joint
  whilst steering with feet, etc
• 7. Significant number of 15 16 year olds think
  smoking marijuana when driving is not an issue
  heightens awareness of and sensitivity to road
  conditions
• 8. Hedgehogs is immensely popular as animation
  but there are big comprehension and communication
  issues which result in its role in road safety
  education being open to question
• 9. There appears to be merit in encouraging
  parents of under 8 year olds to become more
  actively involved in road training significant
  numbers of parents think that the bulk of the
  work in this area should be undertaken by
  schools opinion formers beg to differ in fact
  road safety education appears sporadic across
  schools
• 10. Research indicates that 10 and 11 year olds
  need to be targeted with a variation on the
  current teen strategy they are clearly too old
  for Hedgehogs, as indeed are the majority of 8
  and 9 year olds key age break may not be 10
  11, more 8/9 11

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TOP 15 POINTS TO THINK ABOUT

• 11. Camera Phone is a very successful piece of
  road safety advertising when viewed in the
  context of other relevant communications it
  feels real, elicits enormous empathy with its
  depiction of teenage life and delivers a genuine
  and visceral shock which stays with respondents,
  especially under 15s
• 12. Teens (especially, though not exclusively,
  15) tend to live moment to moment, they are not
  future focussed that which impacts on them today
  may well be forgotten tomorrow unless something
  about personal consequences is driven home this
  is only effective if there is a strong point of
  empathy that leads up to depiction of
  consequences
• 13. Dont Die Before Youve Lived is too
  future focussed for teenagers to truly engage
  its far more resonant among parents, addressing
  a primal fear about losing a child prematurely
• 14. Graphic illustration of catastrophe should
  not be shied away from when depicting the impact
  and consequences of road accidents significant
  numbers from 8 11 and the vast majority of
  those over 11 can cope with it
• 15. There is a huge job involved in presenting
  cycle helmets as acceptable, you cant just run a
  safety message, need to address major image
  issues

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• SECTION A ROAD SAFETY

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URBAN VERSUS RURAL AND ETHNIC DISADVANTAGED
OVERVIEW

• There are significant differences between urban
  and rural respondents, and their priorities
• Rural respondents
• Parents much more concerned about road safety as
  an issue, many urban parents have more pressing
  things to think about
• No pavements to walk on, no safe crossings,
  children are less street-wise
• Rural kids ferried by car, in urban areas
  children on the street much earlier
• In the most rural areas hard to send your
  children to the shops as part of a controlled
  independence exercise, whereas in a city or
  suburbs its not such a problem
• A sense in some rural areas that inhabitants are
  more middle class increasingly need money to
  live in the countryside
• Rural kids seem to get much more hands-on
  training eg cycle proficiency much more
  prevalent a function of being more middle class?
  
• Road safety and rural versus urban
• For rural, road safety revolves around issues
  like narrow roads, heavy agricultural traffic,
  concealed entrances, blind bends, no street
  lights and drink driving
• For urban, revolves around street crime, weight
  of traffic, pack behaviour among children
  overtaking individual common sense
• Disadvantaged
• In many respects not so different to bulk of
  sample in terms of concerns
• Significant differences revolve around
• On the streets, on their own, eg going to school,
  at much younger age, often 7/8

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1. URBAN VERSUS RURAL AND ETHNIC
DISADVANTAGED OVERVIEW cont.

• Male parental role models sometimes offering bad
  example eg driving car with feet, driving under
  the influence of drugs, more resolutely macho in
  attitudes to driving, etc
• Much closer to perpetrators and victims of street
  crime/violence eg in London gang members part of
  their milieu
• More likely to aspire to what others might
  perceive as dangerous driving
• More likely to have role models for whom
  machismo, respect, peer acceptance are a very,
  very big deal
• More likely to be territorial about where they
  live
• If youre going to see mates in another area
  youve got to keep on your toes for the boys in
  that area. 15 16 boy, disadvantaged
• If you walk into a different area, boys come
  after you, theyve normally got tools because
  its their area, so youve just got to keep on
  your toes. 15 16 boy, disadvantaged
• More likely to listen to underground music more
  likely to generate content in music
• Ethnic
• Significant cross over between ethnic and
  disadvantaged typically Afro-Caribbean
• Muslim female respondents markedly different to
  disadvantaged
• Conservative, more closeted, less freedom
• A lot of concerns relate to sex eg fear of rape
  on the street, underage pregnancy
• Asian males oscillate between more urban and more
  conservative, depending on their class and,
  sometimes, whether they are of Pakistani or
  Indian origin sometimes can oscillate between
  the two positions depending on issues eg liberal
  about drugs, conservative about sexual issues

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ROAD SAFETY AS A CONCERN FOR PARENTS AND
CHILDREN

• More of a concern for rural respondents and the
  parents of younger children than for older
  children and their parents
• Disadvantaged parents and their children
  sometimes flag it as a concern, but in terms of
  theft, violence and shootings on the street
  rather than crossing between parked cars or
  against the red man on a pedestrian crossing
• You have to make sure you put all your sick
  things in your pocket so you dont get jacked.
  10 11 boy
• People can steal stuff from you, you can get
  kidnapped, you can get into fights, you can get
  arrested, you can get hurt, you can get shot or
  you can get stabbed or you can get poisoned with
  sweets or you can get run over. 10 11 boy
• Rural concerns hugely salient
• Step out of the house and road safety is a live
  issue, a real threat. For example children in
  rural areas much more likely to wear fluorescent
  clothing, in urban areas only wear fluorescent
  clothing by mistake, as part of fashion design
  likely to be picked on and ridiculed, otherwise
• Its a real concern for me, we live down a dirt
  track but at the back is a really busy road on a
  bend and you cant see a thing. I have to run
  across the road on my own and leave the kids on
  the other side so I can see clearly and usher
  them across. 4 6 parent
• As noted
• Blind bends
• No pavements
• No street lights
• Drink driving more reckless driving because lack
  of police presence

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ROAD SAFETY AS A CONCERN FOR PARENTS AND
CHILDREN cont.

• Large lorries and agricultural traffic
• Traffic more sporadic so children less used to it
  
• Cycling more hazardous eg on a narrow road, fears
  re get sucked under lorry in its wake
• Suburban
• Generally not so far from urban with one proviso,
  that is outer suburbs sometimes exhibit distinct
  concerns about traffic density and speed eg in
  Cheshire lots of big A roads heading to
  Manchester which traffic barrels down at 40 or 45
  miles per hour rather than within the speed
  limit, and with few obvious pedestrian crossings
• Urban
• Confronted with busy roads and traffic more often
  than other children/parents, a sense they are
  more inured to it
• And as noted a sense that there are other, more
  pressing concerns eg crime, drugs
• More supposed safe crossings in urban
  environments, so children more regimented about
  where they cross expect to find zebra crossings,
  pedestrian crossings on major roads with
  attendant issue that may make children lazier or
  think less about road safety
• More specifically, concerns of children and
  teenagers
• Across all age groups peer pressure and bullying
  emerge as key concern
• It is difficult to say no to things, and if
  youre being picked on and tell your mum and dad
  they might shout at them, but that makes it worse
  because theyre in my class. 7 9 boy
• My friend hasnt got much money and he goes to
  steal things from a shop and he wants me to steal
  too. When I told him I didnt want to, he hit me
  on the head. 7 9 boy

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2. ROAD SAFETY AS A CONCERN FOR PARENTS
AND CHILDREN cont.

• 7 9 concerns dominated by more amorphous or
  conceptual fears re the dark, ghosts, death at
  secondary level worry about friends, sick
  relatives, grandparents can also get upset about
  disruptions to their routine eg miss football or
  dancing lesson
• Parents of 7 9s worry about letting their
  children off the leash, running free perception
  is that abductions, child sex, violence on the
  ascendancy all agree that they had much more
  freedom when they were 7 9
• 10 11 year old concerns start to be a little
  more concrete moving up to bigger school, exams,
  fitting in with friends, bullying cyber bullying
  a big trend in addition some evidence that more
  global issues resonate, they worry about
  terrorism being blown up in a bus on London,
  theyre becoming aware of poverty via horrific
  media imagery, seem to be environmentally
  conscious compared to youngest and oldest
  counterparts these concerns are all quite
  apocalyptic
• I think I get upset if I hadnt done my homework
  or somebody sends me a horrible email or somebody
  threatens me at school, Im scared to go back.
  10 11 boy, ethnic
• Teenage concerns much more local about friends,
  fitting in very concerned about themselves and
  how they look, what the opposite sex think of
  them, creating a niche for themselves among their
  peers that doesnt jar etc. The one worry that
  extends beyond their immediate circle is of
  internet predators, stranger danger sometimes
  echoed by 10 11 year olds significant numbers
  talk of receiving strange and unusual messages
• Urban disadvantaged teenage concerns revolve
  around violence and crime, being robbed on the
  street when talking about cars and road safety,
  more than one respondent talks of being anxious
  when cars pull up by the curb near them, waiting
  for the window to come down and a gun to appear
  disadvantaged parents hugely concerned

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2. ROAD SAFETY AS A CONCERN FOR PARENTS AND
CHILDREN cont.

• We live across the road from Geoffrey Chaucer
  school I talk to my daughter, I say you beware
  and take care, these friends of yours are bad,
  dont do this, dont do that she is still
  scared, there is so much trouble around here,
  boys are shooting each other. 12 14 parent,
  disadvantaged
• Somebody close to us was murdered by the Peckham
  boys in Deptford, near the Albany, a couple of
  months agoyou have to be worried if you have
  boys of that age right now. 12 14 parent,
  disadvantaged
• On my birthday, innit, the other day, yeah, I
  went to Wood Green cinema, innit, like, so I got
  on the bus and I was with my wifey and that boy
  and then there was about 10/15 boys chilling at
  the back of the bus and they had two young kids
  with them 3 boys got on the bus, yeah, and the
  black boys were saying to the young kidsthey
  were probably in year 7, not even thatabout
  11/12with kids my age, yeah, older than thatand
  they was like see that boy there, go and take
  his hatso the little boy went up to the boy and
  he took his hat and the boy obviously took his
  hat back and then the little kid threw his
  barbecue sauce in the boys face, so the boy
  obviously got up, innit like, to hit the boy and
  then all the boys came down and they were like
  were going to bang you in and the boy couldnt
  do nothing, they were taking his phone, slapping
  his face, the boy was getting slapped in the face
  by one kid, he was like sit down!, so the boy
  sat down so the kid could slap him in the face
  took his phone and the younger one, the boy goes
  to him yeah, spud him, so he spudded him and
  the little man goes thanks for your phone and
  just got off the bus boy. He said thanks for
  giving me your phone, in other words youre a
  dick head. 15 16 boy, disadvantaged
• Not one child or teenage respondent spontaneously
  mentioned road safety as a concern, though when
  prompted, its clearly more of an issue for rural
  children and teenagers

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2. ROAD SAFETY AS A CONCERN FOR PARENTS
AND CHILDREN cont.

• More specifically parental hierarchy

Urban
CRIME
INEQUALITY/POVERTY
ROAD SAFETY (urban disadvantaged)
TERRORISM/WAR
ENVIRONMENT (white, middle class)
ENVIRONMENT (ethnic, disadvantaged)
EDUCATION
EMPLOYMENT
HEALTH
Less Concern
More Concern
INTERNET/MEDIA

ROAD SAFETY (rural)
Rural
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• 3. ROAD SAFETY PEDESTRIANS

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3.1 OVERVIEW

• All parents and children over the age of 7 claim
  they know about road safety
• However on probing gaps in their knowledge become
  readily apparent
• Parrot information rather than understand it eg
  they may be aware that crossing between parked
  cars is dangerous but they are less certain as to
  why see below
• Its bad because there could be people in the
  cars and they could start the engine and crush
  you. 7 9 boy
• reality for many in urban sample, crossing
  between parked cars is inevitable
• With the exception of under 7s, vast majority all
  knowingly take risks to one degree or another
• Under 7s risk taking more likely to be
  inadvertent eg parent having to pull back from
  the road
• Significant number of children think they could
  teach their parents a thing or two about road
  safety. Occasionally pull them up on their
  behaviour
• Parents themselves admit that on occasion they
  are probably not the best role models eg in a
  rush or in the company of another adult focus
  more on occasion than safety issues
• My parents dont look at all, they are always
  talking when they cross the road but when my mum
  is just with me she is quite good. 7 9 boy
• What DfT considers risk-taking not always viewed
  as such by respondents their normality is such
  that they have to cross between parked cars, or
  have to wait in the middle of the road while
  traffic passes either side of them, or cant walk
  on well-lit streets because there arent any near
  them
• For younger, especially disadvantaged and some
  ethnic, crossing the road is an opportunity to
  assert themselves, to garner respect hence will
  just walk out bringing traffic to a screeching
  halt. Taking a risk, in this context, is about
  bravado, in other contexts, for young people more
  generally, it is about having a laugh or being in
  a rush or being in a hermetically sealed world of
  their own

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3.1 OVERVIEW cont.

• When Im in a bad mood sometimes I just walk out
  even if I see a car coming because I think
  theyre going to stop. Say if I walked slowly
  and the car beeps at me then I will turn around
  and tell them to fuck off. 12 14 boy,
  disadvantaged
• Yeah, I know exactly what youre saying. To be
  honest with you, yeah, sometimes when I am
  angryit kind of depends, if the cars far away
  and the car blatantly sees you, youd expect them
  to have the decency to stop but if you know
  theyre speeding up then you obviously get out
  the way but youll proper screw them and if they
  stop youll be like what a prickdrive on man!
  do you know what Im saying? at the end of
  the day its very unlikely on Bay Road that
  theyre going to run you over and get away with
  it. 15 16 boy, disadvantaged
• Yeah. Also, as well, yeah, like I know like
  youre taking it out on the wrong people, yeah,
  but whos ever walked on a zebra crossing and a
  car dont stop for you!? That zebra crossing
  youre supposed to stop the car that makes me
  mad the next time a car dont stopI dont even
  walk on the zebra crossing I walk next to the
  zebra crossing and if they dont stop Im like
  youre supposed to stop this is a zebra
  crossing and then theyll be like well get on
  the zebra crossingjust shut up man, get in
  your car! 15 16 boy, disadvantaged
• In terms of how they get to school and with whom
  clear demarcation between some ethnic and most
  disadvantaged sample and others between the ages
  of 7 10
• Very few non-ethnic/non-disadvantaged making
  their own way to school under the age of 11
  still at primary
• Evidence of some ethnic and disadvantaged making
  their own way to school from the age of 7
  upwards majority of disadvantaged 9 10 year
  olds making their way to school without adult
  supervision
• Tower Hamlets RSO affirms that this is a huge
  issue in her borough, 7 10 year old Bengalis
  who cant speak English making their own way to
  school
• Rural under 11s almost invariably taken by an
  adult to school or taken by an adult to school
  bus stop

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3.1 OVERVIEW cont.

• Urban children utilising mix of public transport
  and walking
• Urban buses perceived as potential flash point
  for danger disadvantaged parents strongly
  advising children not to sit on the top deck
• Im not letting them go on the bus because its
  just horrendous. My son actually leaves home
  almost 45 minutes earlier than he has to to avoid
  it he leaves home at 715 in the morning. 10
  11 parent, disadvantaged
• Teenagers typically going to school with siblings
  or friends again mix of transport modes, though
  all recognise that when they are not on their own
  travelling time increases significantly,
  sometimes doubles, as they talk, muck around, get
  up to mischief etc
• Yeah, weve got this thing weve been doing, we
  all take loads of eggs to school and then throw
  them at each other on the way, sometimes youll
  hit somebody you dont mean to, its a laugh.
  15 16 boy

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3.2 WHAT THEY KNOW OR WHAT THEY DONT KNOW

• Green Cross Code
• Minority of children across sample spontaneously
  refer to Green Cross Code other respondents in
  group are quick to question what it is
• Awareness far more common among parents though
  significant number think it no longer exists
  still can recall detail from learning as a child
• Parental view is that they were raised on Green
  Cross Code, and thats what they try to instill
  in their children albeit it on an ad hoc rather
  than structured basis
• Safety and Children/Teenagers
• Seems like most children know the fundamentals of
  road safety at some level, whether they practice
  them is another issue their notion of what
  constitutes risk is different to the DFTs
• Youngest children most likely to obey traffic
  signals
• No teenagers think they have anything to learn
  about road safety
• Significant number of 6 10s can recite Stop,
  Look, Listen and Live line
• First port of call when asked what they know
  about road safety and where line not quoted in
  its entirety, will often answer Look, Stop,
  Listen, or variations thereof, when asked what
  they know about road safety
• Otherwise, when asked about road safety 6
  10s/11s most likely to comment on
• Excluding rural, where possible cross the road at
  pedestrian crossing, zebra crossing
• At pedestrian crossing wait until the man is
  green
• Younger with parents tend to wait, others will
  make a judgement on how far away traffic is and
  then cross if light isnt green
• Dont run into the road without looking

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3.2 WHAT THEY KNOW OR WHAT THEY DONT KNOW
cont.

• Dont play too close to the main road
• Use ears as well as eyes when crossing the road
• Be careful of large vehicles such as lorries and
  buses, dont stand too close to the edge of the
  pavement because may be hit by them or be
  destabilised in their wake
• For 4 8s, hold mummys hand or an adults hand,
  especially when crossing the road
• Teenagers do not consider anything other than
  overt risks as issues eg playing chicken, pushing
  each other into the road, being wrapped up in
  your own concerns or dreams or music and
  wandering into the road etc
• Having said that, where pushed will give
  moderator variations on what children know eg
  dont lark about near the road

28
3.3 WHERE THEY LEARN

• Less sense of structured learning these days
  according to parents in some instances parents
  talk as if their children learn almost via
  osmosis
• Practice/ad hoc learning tends to be imparted by
  parents, typically mother
• Prompted by 1 of 2 things either immediate
  circumstances eg come to a crossing with child,
  or by seeing something which is being perceived
  as stupid Did you see that?
• When they are in the car, you point out the
  prats on the road or on the pavement. 10 11
  parent
• More theoretical less practical
• NB feeling that more structured teaching re road
  safety in rural schools than urban counterparts
• Sometimes imparted at school, either by teacher
  or older students, typically year 6 teaching
  reception younger more likely to listen to their
  older peers, versus a sign of how little
  importance schools place on road safety, that
  they pawn it off on pupils and helpers
• Some children talk of citizenship days where
  schools take them to various institutions such as
  police and fire service, where they are lectured
  on and shown things about various aspects of
  safety
• We had a trip with my class, this man showed us
  about roads, these children were playing, these
  boys were throwing a ball at the side of the
  road, one of the boys pushed a girl into the road
  and she got run over by a bus, thats stayed in
  my head, I thought it was sad. 10 11 boy,
  ethnic
• Significant recall across younger sample of
  Hedgehog stickers re Be Bright At Night
  learning
• We were taught our Green Cross Code by our
  middle school and we were given Hedgehog
  stickers. 7 9 girl
• Occasional recall by children of work books
  relating to road safety being handed out for them
  to write and draw on in many instances
  unsupervised, left to their own devices
  consequently book not engaged with

29
3.3 WHERE THEY LEARN cont.

• However, some parents talk of schools dropping it
  from their curriculum eg half of the Suffolk
  parent sample complained about it having recently
  been dropped
• Some disadvantaged and ethnic, particularly first
  generation migrant parents, think television
  advertising is a valuable source of information
  for their children in this area
• Other parents and children talk of Hedgehog
  posters around school underscoring safety
  messages
• A sense among disadvantaged and ethnic parents,
  particularly though not always exclusively, that
  it is the schools job to educate about road
  safety
• Opinion former view is that the parental role is
  the most important, that children learn via
  practice and example rather than theory
• Childrens view is that both parents and schools
  have roles to play, former showing, latter
  teaching
• Some anecdotal evidence that children learn in
  the short term from witnessing accidents or
  hearing about them in their immediate locality eg
  saw a boy cycle into a lamppost, saw the residue
  on the road of a bad motorcycle accident or even
  have been in pedestrian accidents themselves
• Without wishing to belabour the obvious, the more
  serious the accident, the more long term the
  behavioural change eg teenager in car accident
  wasnt wearing a seatbelt, now always does less
  serious accidents engender more short term
  behavioural change eg one respondent had been
  knocked over twice yet still admitted that he
  would run into the middle of the road and dodge
  traffic to catch the bus rather than walk an
  extra 10 yards and use the crossing
• NB relevant for communications goes towards
  substantiating the view that the more graphic or
  more hard-hitting the communications, the more
  impactful they are
• I think if they got more vicious adsIm not
  saying like really violent but something more,
  then people will (little kids as well) be more
  carefullike them proper car crashes where they
  hit someone, then their arm comes off or
  something or their leg or whatever, that would be
  good. 15 16 boy, disadvantaged

30
3.3 WHERE THEY LEARN cont.

• As noted teenagers think they have learnt all
  that they need to know
• Ad hoc learning is by example of their peers and
  friends rather than via anything parents or
  teachers say
• eg whether its playing chicken or running across
  the road through oncoming traffic or playing
  football in the road, they follow their peers
  lead

31
3.4 WHAT PARENTS TEACH ABOUT SAFETY

• Parents of 4 6 year olds
• All parents of 4 6 year olds claim to
  explicitly teach their children about road safety
  
• In all cases its ad hoc and dependent on being
  out in the real world
• Teaching things like
• Stop and look before crossing the road
• Look left and right twice, even when the green
  man is indicating you can go
• Get off your bike before crossing the road
• Hold a grown ups hand when crossing the road
• Repeat the Hedgehogs strap line when crossing
  the road, Stop, Look, Listen
• In rural areas
• Walking in single file
• Walking on inside of mother/adult
• But as noted, and as will be covered in an
  upcoming section, all parents including parents
  of 4 6 year olds take risks in front of their
  children
• Parents of 7 9 year olds
• Still some degree of tutoring when out with your
  child eg insisting before crossing the road look
  first
• But also a sense of children beginning to go out
  on their own
• parents warning their children before they go
  out eg be careful near the main road, only cross
  at a zebra crossing, etc
• Some evidence that parents setting children tasks
  which involve exercising gumption on roads eg
  going to get newspapers involves crossing a road

32
3.4 WHAT PARENTS TEACH ABOUT SAFETY cont.

• One or two cases of role play where parent gets
  child to take the lead and make decisions
• Parents of 10 11 year olds
• Urban parents, disadvantaged parents and some
  ethnic parents beginning to back off from
  instructive role, only intervene when see what
  they perceive as gross stupidity
• Rural middle class parents switch in educative
  role from pedestrian to cycling eg encourage
  cycle helmets, warn them about hanging PE kit on
  their bike handles, ensure that children keep
  their bikes safe in three cases, mothers
  actively campaigning to bring back cycle
  proficiency at school see Cycling for more
  detail
• Some parents of the opinion that this represents
  the most dangerous age for their children,
  increasingly off the leash, heady with scent of
  freedom
• And they say its the 9, 10 and 11 year olds
  that are most at risk because they want a bit
  more freedom and they can think they know it all
  and they can do it all and they cant. So it is
  definitely this age group that are more at risk.
  10 11 parent, disadvantaged
• Again some sense that children going out is a
  prompt for parents to remind them to be careful
• I always say, Dont talk to anybody, stand back
  because if anybody is mucking about, you might
  get pushed, dont get on the busses, stay
  downstairs, dont go upstairs, keep your phone in
  your pocket even if it rings and check it later
  on. 10 11 parent, disadvantaged
• Parents of 12 14 year olds
• Among ethnic and disadvantaged parents 2 views
  often prevail
• One is belief that their children are mature and
  sensible and would never do the kind of things
  stereotypical early teens get up to
• Oh no, mine would never do things like that,
  shes on the mature side, she behaves like an
  adult, like a lady, shes really okay. 12 14
  parent, disadvantaged

33
3.4 WHAT PARENTS TEACH ABOUT SAFETY cont.

• The other is a sense that their children might be
  getting up to all sorts of mischief that is
  increasingly difficult to track or control talk
  of their early teens exhibiting lots of
  attitude, wont listen to parents
• Either way dont bother with road safety chats
  any more where counsel caution before teens go
  out, they mean it in relation to substance abuse
  or violence or theft or rape
• Parents of 15 16 year olds
• Some ethnic and disadvantaged 15 16 year olds
  clearly barely on speaking terms with their
  parents though still respect and have a lot of
  time for grandparents
• In other households, road safety much lower
  priority when children are going out unless they
  will be getting lifts with mates in their cars
  significant number of parents discourage this,
  versus teenagers not informing their parents
• A general sense that wary of proffering any
  advice
• Its hard to know what to say sometimes its
  better to say nothing at all. You tell them one
  thing, and theyll do the other. 15 16
  parent, ethnic

34
3.5 PEDESTRIAN RISK

• As already noted perceptions of risk differ
  across urban and rural divide
• Rural risk revolves around
• Lack of street lights, no pavements, blind bends,
  narrow roads with traffic hurtling down it, lots
  of going over the speed limit because of lack of
  police presence/knowledge where speed cameras
  are, T junctions where theres no pavements, no
  formalised pedestrian crossings, people messing
  about on unlit roads late at night on weekends
  etc
• Its difficult sometimes, you cant see whats
  coming, you just have to run out and hope. 12
  14 girl
• Having said that, rural respondents talk of
  taking similar risks to their urban counterparts
  eg
• Walking across the road in groups talking to each
  other rather than looking
• People absorbed in mobile phone or music drifting
  across the road
• Messing around by the road
• Run out in front of cars, either because in a
  rush or out of bravado
• 4 6 year olds
• 4 6 can barely conceive of risky behaviour by
  the road
• 1 recalls playing with friends on pavement in
  front of his house, while his mother chatted,
  tripping and falling into the road while traffic
  was passing
• Parents of 4 6 year olds have no problems
  recalling examples of their own risky behaviour
  in relation to their children risk taking
  prompted by being in a rush, typically
• Crossing a wide main road and having to hang in
  the middle and wait for cars to pass
• Crossing between parked cars

35
3.5 PEDESTRIAN RISK cont.

• More risky behaviour includes
• Getting children out of the car on road side
• Running across the road with a child
• Dropping something and pausing to pick it up
• Crossing in front of buses and vans
• Using push chair with younger sibling in it to
  slow down the traffic
• Crossing a relatively busy road when the
  pedestrian light is green
• I will cross the road when the red sign is
  on, contrary to everything I taught my
  childrenthis morning we both got caught in
  the filter lane crossing the road. 4 6
  parent, ethnic
• 7 9 year olds
• Rural risks already noted we spoke with 7 9
  year old parents in Suffolk and 7 9 year old
  children in Somerset
• Two parents of 7 9 year olds in Cheshire have
  children with ADHD, makes road safety a nightmare
  when children are driven by impulse for example,
  if boys ball goes out into the road, he runs
  after it without lookingbehaviour kicks in
  before thinking
• You have a young, impulsive child who cant read
  properly. Its a nightmare around the roads. 7
  9 parent, disadvantaged
• 7 9 year old respondents are generally fairly
  well-behaved on the roads, traffic can still
  scare them, words of their parents or teachers
  still ringing in their ears wrongdoing tends to
  be of the crossing the road when the pedestrian
  light is red variety
• Parental risk in front of children
• Some adamant they try not to take risk in front
  of children, at worst may jay walk

36
3.5 PEDESTRIAN RISK cont.

• Interestingly some children claim that their
  parents only very occasionally will take an overt
  risk, for example crossing when the pedestrian
  light is red, but in the main, will do things
  like always look before crossing or always wait
  until road is empty before crossing
• Having said that plenty of parents of 7 9 year
  olds claim they will cross between parked cars,
  they dont necessarily wait until the man is
  green etc
• I dont even consider these as risks, I know I
  can judge it, I know I shouldnt, but I do. 7
  9 parent
• Significant number claim that everyone has to
  break rules when they live in urban or suburban
  areas many claim they wont walk several yards
  out of their way to walk across a zebra crossing
• 10 11 year olds
• Risk taking on the roads steps up a level
• Going out on their own and with groups of friends
  more regularly not as often as their teenage
  counterparts, but often enough to be away from
  adult supervision for extended periods of time
• In rural areas talk of playing chicken on the
  roads, and on rail tracks
• Increasing tendency to walk out into road without
  looking, engrossed in mobile phone conversation
  or friends conversation
• Cross between parked cars without even thinking
  it an issue
• Increasingly make judgements about cars and
  distance, willing to take a punt
• A couple of days ago me and my friend were
  crossing the road and do you know when it was
  like hailing in the morning and it was really
  pouring with rain none of the cars could see us
  and we could see that they couldnt see and we
  were in the middle of the road and there was an
  island near by but we didnt take it because it
  was quite far away and we were in the middle of
  the road just like trying to get our blazers over
  our heads and no cars would see us and I was
  really scared because I thought oh, no cars
  cant see us, so we just ran straight across.
  10 11 girl

37
3.5 PEDESTRIAN RISK cont.

• I think the most important thing for me is if
  Im with a big group of people and like a few of
  them will cross, Ill just go along with them but
  when they cross a carll be further away but by
  the time Im crossing it would be closer but Ill
  still do it. 10 11 girl
• More horseplay by the side of the road, lots of
  talk about people being pushed into the road, off
  the pavement more games being played at the side
  of the road eg football
• We were playing football by the road and the
  ball fell into the road and my friend ran out
  after it but a car ran over the ball and it
  sounded like a gunshot. 10 11 boy, ethnic
• Taking minor risks as a matter of course eg will
  cross on red man if dont see any cars, will
  cross if see a car in the distance etc
• Not every 10 year old behaving like this, some
  still claim that they will seek out pedestrian
  crossing or w