The role of cultural factors and attitudes for pedestrian behaviour in an urban Turkish sample

There is a limited number of studies that examine the role of cultural factors and attitudes related to pedestrian behaviour. The aim of this study was to explore the role of cultural variables (i.e. vertical and horizontal collectivism, and individualism, as well as uncertainty avoidance) and attitudes towards pedestrian safety for reported risk-taking pedestrian behaviour in a sample of urban Turkish road users. An additional aim was to test whether the cultural factors had mediated relations to pedestrian behaviour through attitudes towards pedestrian safety. The results are based on an urban Turkish sample (n = 289, response rate = 64%) established in Izmir and Istanbul. The sample consisted of 169 females and 120 males. Their age ranged from 15 to 78 years (M = 32.00, SD = 13.89). A regression analysis showed that the cultural factors added to the explained variance of risky pedestrian behaviour above demographic and exposure-relevant control variables as well as attitudes towards pedestrian safety. Structural Equation Modeling showed that a mediated model had good fit and explained about 60% of the variance in attitudes towards pedestrian safety and 24% in pedestrian behaviour. Within this model, vertical collectivism related to lower levels of pedestrian risk-taking behaviour, while horizontal collectivism was related to higher levels of risk-taking behaviour. As expected, safe attitudes were related to lower levels of risk-taking pedestrian behaviour. The results are discussed in relation to hierarchy and authority orientations facilitated by the specific cultural factors and how such tendencies may relate to pedestrian risk-taking behaviour.     

An investigation of behaviour and attitudes relevant to the user safety of pedestrian/cyclist shared paths

Bicycle/pedestrian shared paths are an increasingly popular solution to providing cycling infrastructure, despite evidence suggesting safety issues. Improved design and management of shared paths should be informed by understanding of bicyclist and pedestrian behaviour on shared paths, and of relevant safety initiatives (e.g. centreline marking). However, relevant research is lacking. Bicyclist/pedestrian passing events (n = 407) were observed on three relatively busy shared paths in Sydney, Australia – one of them without centreline marking. User characteristics, relevant behaviours and incidents (aggression, near-misses, crashes) were recorded. A tendency toward left-hand travel, as on Australian roads, was stronger for cyclists than for pedestrians, and where centreline was present. Cyclists were often estimated to travel above 10 km/h, a speed limit that has been suggested based on pedestrian safety considerations, but that would be unacceptable for long stretches of commuter cycling. Centreline was associated with lower estimated speeds. Cyclists typically adhered to their responsibility of giving way to pedestrians, but often passed on the left, passed too close, passed without slowing, or passed without warning (e.g. with a bell). Use of mobile telephones and mp3 players is common, particularly amongst pedestrians. Five near collisions were observed, and 53 survey participants reported 2 collisions and 13 near misses. Contributing factors appear to include path users using potentially distracting devices, or straying from the rules of thumb to keep to the left, and to overtake on the right.A survey of cyclists and pedestrians suggested that there are issues with perceptions of space ownership. These results represent an important contribution to the evidence-base for initiatives to improve the safety of shared paths.     

Safety–critical events in everyday cycling – Interviews with bicyclists and video annotation of safety–critical events in a naturalistic cycling study

Research in cycling safety seeks to better understand bicycle-related crashes and injuries. The present naturalistic cycling study contributes to this research by collecting data about bicyclists’ behavior and impressions of safety–critical situations, information unavailable in traditional data sources (e.g., accident databases, observational studies). Naturalistic data were collected from 16 bicyclists (8 female; M = 39.1 years, SD = 11.4 years) who rode instrumented bicycles for two weeks. Bicyclists were instructed to report all episodes in which they felt uncomfortable while riding (subjective risk perception), even if they didn’t fall. After data collection, the bicyclists were interviewed in detail regarding their self-reported safety–critical events. Environmental conditions were also recorded via video (e.g., road surface, weather). In total, 63 safety–critical events (56 non-crashes, 7 crashes) were reported by the bicyclists, mainly due to interactions with other road users – but also due to poorly maintained infrastructure. In low-visibility conditions, vehicle-bicycle and bicycle-bicycle events were the most uncomfortable for the bicyclists. Self-reported pedestrian–bicycle events primarily consisted of pedestrians starting to cross the bicycle path without looking. With one exception, all crashes found in the study belonged to poorly maintained road and infrastructure. In particular, construction work or obstacles in the bicycle path were reported as uncomfortable and annoying by the bicyclists. This study shows how naturalistic data and bicyclists’ interviews together can provide a more informative picture of safety–critical situations experienced by the bicyclist than traditional data sources can.     

Exploring factors distinguishing car-versus-car from car-versus-motorcycle in intersection crashes

This research examines a case-control (N = 305) for CVC (car versus car) and CVM (car versus motorcycle) crashes from the New Zealand drawing from the 2004 to 2009 police reports entered into the Crash Analysis Systems (CASs) database. The characteristics of the crashes are compared across the vehicle configurations to distinguish the features of CVM crashes. The analyses show that CVM-type crashes are not easily distinguished from CVC-type crashes. The two crash types are similar, contrary to overseas recent findings but consistent with those reported nearly 20 years ago by Cercarelli, Arnold, Rosman, Sleet, and Thornett (1992). Four exceptions are that CVM-type crashes occur more often than expected in urban speed zones, between the times of 4–7 pm, and at uncontrolled intersections. CVM crashes occur less often in merging traffic. These findings are discussed in the context of the conspicuity hypothesis that posits that crashes with motorcycles occur more frequently because they are harder to detect.     

Gap acceptance at stop-controlled T-intersections in a simulated rural environment

A high proportion of road crashes occur at intersections: in Victoria, Australia, 15% of fatal crashes and 25% of serious injury crashes occur at T-intersections, with similar proportions occurring at cross intersections. Many of these crashes can be attributed to drivers’ inappropriate gap selection. The current study used a driving simulator to examine the influence of both the driver’s intended manoeuvre and the gap duration on gap acceptance behaviour at stop-controlled T-intersections. Drivers completed 18 gap acceptance trials, with manoeuvre (turning across traffic, merging with traffic) and gap duration (3–11 s) manipulated within-subjects. There was a trend whereby drivers accepted shorter gaps when turning across traffic compared to merging with traffic, which was significant at longer gaps (⩾9 s) but not at shorter, safety–critical gaps (⩽8 s). In addition, accepted lag times varied with manoeuvre. When merging with traffic drivers demonstrated longer accepted lag times, suggesting that turn strategies differ depending on traffic direction and intended manoeuvre. Overall the results suggest that the drivers’ intended manoeuvre influences gap acceptance, although gap duration remains the most influential factor. Implications of these findings for the development and design of intersection decision support systems are discussed.     

Risk of crashing with a tram: Perceptions of pedestrians,cyclists, and motorists

IntroductionRoad users not abiding by the rule of tram priority has increased the number of crashes between trams and other road users. This study focuses on the perceptions of pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists regarding the risk of crashes with trams. The first aim was to examine how these road users assess the risk of tram crashes with themselves and with other road users of the same age and type. The second aim was to look into whether and to what extent road users’ comparative judgments about tram risk are realistic in terms of their self-reported behavior.MethodThe study sample included 973 road users (379 pedestrians, 146 cyclists, and 448 motorists). Three versions of a questionnaire were constructed to assess risk perceptions concerning interactions between these road users and trams, self-reported behavior, and knowledge of the tram-priority rules.ResultsThe results showed that all three types of road users perceived the risk of a crash between a tram and themselves to be very low (M = 1.53, SD = 0.88) and with other users to be higher (M = 2.28, SD = 1.06); they therefore expressed comparative optimism. The results also revealed realistic optimism among pedestrians and unrealistic optimism among young motorists.ConclusionThe present study shows that, as a whole, road users have little awareness of crash risks with trams. It may therefore be worthwhile to increase communication about the priority of trams, and to persuade road users not to violate this rule.     

Relationships amongst psychological determinants,risk behaviour,and road crashes of young adolescent pedestrians and cyclists: Implications for road safety education programmes

Road safety education (RSE) assumes that psychological determinants predict risk behaviour, and subsequently that risky road behaviour predicts crash involvement. This study examined the validity of this assumption, by analysing these relationships in two age groups of teen cyclists and pedestrians: a younger age group (12 and 13 years old: n = 1372) and an older age group (14–16 years old: n = 938). A questionnaire was administered at school during regular class consisting of items on demographics, on risk behaviour based on the Generic Error Model System (GEMS), on psychological determinants targeted in RSE programmes, and on crash involvement and near crashes. For the younger age group, the results indicated that the risk behaviours ‘errors’, ‘dangerous play’, and ‘lack of protective behaviour’ predicted self-reported crashes; for the older age group only ‘errors’ were found to be predictive of self-reported crashes and near crashes. Path analyses confirmed that risk behaviour could be predicted from the psychological determinants, sharing respectively 44% of the variance in the younger age group and 34% in the older group. In conclusion, these results confirm the RSE assumption that psychological determinants are associated with a higher frequency of risk behaviours and that the latter are again associated with higher crash frequencies. Just as in earlier studies on adolescent risk behaviour, the GEMS based distinction between errors and violations was not confirmed, suggesting that this distinction – derived from studies on adult car drivers – may not apply to young adolescent cyclists and pedestrians.     

A naturalistic study of the impact of message framing on highway speeding

Speeding is the most common road violation, and is one of the main causes of crashes. To protect road users, authorities use sanctions and preventive measures to prompt drivers to observe speed limits. However, the efficacy of prevention messages varies according to a number of factors, among which risk framing is important. We ran a study to test whether gain is more effective than loss (framing effect). Four anti-speeding messages were presented on variable-message signs, along one side of a busy 8-lane highway in France (speed limit: 130 km/h – 80 mph), during 6 weekends. Within a between subject design, the messages differed in orientation (gain vs. loss vs. no message) and theme (crash vs. fuel consumption). The drivers’ speed was recorded on the highway 2 km (1.25 miles) after the sign (6486 recordings of speed). The results showed that speed was lower when a message was displayed than in the control condition, and when the message was gain-framed rather than loss-framed. These effects were stronger on the left lanes (overtaking lanes). Hence, gain framed messages are recommended for prevention campaigns at least when no risk factor is salient.     

Changes in road-user behaviors following the installation of raised pedestrian crosswalks combined with preceding speed humps,on urban arterials

In this study, raised pedestrian crosswalks were installed at non-signalized mid-block crosswalks situated on urban arterial and collector roads. A raised crosswalk is built by installing a trapezoidal speed hump on the crosswalk area, building a preceding circular speed hump, in each travel direction, and adding traffic signs. A controlled field-study was conducted at eight sites, sixteen pedestrian crosswalks, where road user behaviors were compared in the after versus before the treatment periods. Two settings of raised crosswalks were applied at the study sites: a 15 cm high trapezoidal hump combined with 8–10 cm high circular humps, and a 10–12 cm high trapezoidal hump combined with 6–8 cm high circular humps. Field observations included video-recordings and free-flow speed measurements. Following the installation of the raised crosswalks, at most sites, a substantial decrease was observed in vehicle travel speeds while approaching the crosswalks, which was maintained over-time. In addition, at some crosswalks, improvements were found in the rates of giving-way to pedestrians by the vehicles, vehicle-pedestrian conflicts and shares of pedestrians who cross within the crosswalk boundaries, while the changes in keeping safe crossing rules by pedestrians were mixed. Overall, the changes in road user behaviors following the installation of the raised crosswalks were positive and associated with safety improvement of pedestrian crossing conditions. Based on the study results, raised crosswalks with preceding speed humps can be promoted as a pedestrian safety-improving measure on busy urban roads.     

Bicycle fatalities: Trends in crashes with and without motor vehicles in The Netherlands

Boufous and Olivier (2015) recently found an increasing trend of police-reported cyclist deaths in single-vehicle crashes while a decreasing trend was found for fatal bicycle-motor vehicle crashes. This study sets out to conduct the same trend analyses for the Netherlands using causes of death statistics. The results show that for 1996–2014, the number of cyclist deaths in motor vehicle collisions per km cycled (i.e. the risk) has declined by 3.8% per annum (95% CI: −4.6%, −3.0%) while the risk of cyclist deaths in crashes without motor vehicles increased by 7.0% per annum (95% CI: 5.5%, 8.7%). The large majority of cyclist deaths at the beginning of the study period were due to bicycle-motor vehicle crashes. By 2014, however, the share with motor vehicles was only slightly higher than the share without motor vehicles. We also conducted trend analyses controlling for age by stratifying into nine age groups. After controlling for age, the average annual decrease of cyclist deaths in crashes with motor vehicles was 5.4% (95% CI: −6.0% to − 4.7%). The average annual increase of deaths in crashes without motor vehicles was 4.4% (95% CI: 3.1–5.7%). These trends are more favourable than those without controlling for age which can be explained by more cycling among the elderly who have an elevated risk. We conclude that, similar to Australia, cyclist deaths following motor vehicle crashes in the Netherlands have decreased while deaths without motor vehicles have increased.     

Footbridge usage in high-traffic flow highways: The intersection of safety and security in pedestrian decision-making​

In the Decade of Action for Road Safety, the vulnerability of pedestrians to severe outcomes from road crash is well-recognised. This study explored the factors that are influential in pedestrians’ decisions to cross a high-traffic highway in Barranquilla, Colombia, by using a footbridge over the highway, or by cutting across the highway in close proximity to a footbridge. Participants were recruited at each crossing (n = 105 footbridge, n = 105 ground; n = 117 males; M(SD) age = 23.28(5.98) years) and completed a paper survey exploring demographics, highway crossing behaviour, and attitudes regarding the safety and security of the crossing. Despite the majority of participants reporting the ground crossing was dangerous, and that the footbridge crossing was safe, one third of participants never or rarely (approximately 0% and 25% of the time) used the footbridge to cross the highway. Logistic regression revealed that the decision regarding the highway crossing mode (footbridge or ground) was predicted by (a) the frequency in which the footbridge is crossed, (b) the perception of footbridge security in relation to crime, (c) the perception of footbridge safety about traffic conflicts in general, (d) the proximity of the footbridge to the highway ground crossing, and (e) if the subject had experienced an injury during a previous highway crossing. The findings extend our understanding of pedestrian behaviour in crossing highways, not only in relation to the use of footbridges which separate both road user groups, but also ground crossings which place the pedestrians at significant risk especially those in areas with high traffic flow density. Moreover, the findings highlight the complexity involved in improving pedestrian road safety, particularly as the provision of an engineering solution (a footbridge) in close proximity to a high-risk zone (highway) is clearly not the only solution in the much larger road safety system.     

Profile of urban vs rural drivers detected drink driving via Roadside Breath Testing (RBT) in Queensland,Australia, between 2000 and 2011

ProblemIn Australia, as in many other countries, a disproportionate number of drink driving crashes occur on rural roads.Aims and methodThe study used Queensland Police Random Breath Testing (RBT) data from 2000–2011 to (a) comparing drink driving rates and RBT efficacy in areas of increasing remoteness (b) compare drink driver factors and the circumstances of apprehensions in rural and urban areas.ResultsGenerally, rural areas had a higher detection rate per RBT intercepts and a greater number of apprehensions per licensed drivers than the state average. Main effects showed that rural drivers were more likely to be male and to be a reoffender but less likely to be apprehended between midnight and 5.59 am and after visiting a licensed venue. Urban drivers were more likely to be aged 17–49 years and to be apprehended with a BAC < 0.15%.ConclusionDifferences in RBT effectiveness and drink driving factors and circumstances exist between rural and urban areas.Practical applicationThe greater number of drink drivers in rural areas signal a need for targeted interventions in these areas. To increase the effectiveness of such interventions, further research should examine the mechanisms responsible for these observed differences between rural and urban drink driver.     

The Romanian version of the multidimensional driving style inventory: Psychometric properties and cultural specificities

The multidimensional driving style inventory (MDSI), assessing four broad dimensions of driving styles, was originally built in Israel. In line with other previous adaptations of this instrument in different cultural contexts (such as Argentina), our research aimed to develop a valid and reliable Romanian version of the MDSI and to evaluate its external and construct validity. We conducted two studies aimed at this objective. Study 1 (n = 1237) first tested the factorial adequacy of the previous MDSI versions in our Romanian sample. Then, the culture-specific version of the MDSI that emerged from the factor analysis was examined in terms of its structure, internal consistency, item proprieties, and associations to socio-demographic variables and self-reported traffic crashes and offenses. Study 2 (n = 835) examined the associations between the driving styles assessed by this newly developed measure and several relevant personality traits: sensation seeking (both general and in traffic), desire for control, driving anger, normlessness, dutifulness and frustration discomfort. The results of the two studies support the validity and reliability of this culture-specific version of the MDSI. In comparison to the previous versions, the Romanian MDSI version addresses a supplementary driving style, concerning the violation of rules perceived as irrational in the respective situation. The reasons for the emergence of this distinct driving style in the Romanian driving context, as well as its relationships to the high traffic crashes rate in this country are discussed.     

Comparison of opportunities to respond and generation effect as potential causal mechanisms for incremental rehearsal with multiplication combinations

Incremental rehearsal (IR) is an intervention with demonstrated effectiveness in increasing retention of information, yet little is known about how specific intervention components contribute to the intervention's effectiveness. The purpose of this study was to further the theoretical understanding of the intervention by comparing the effects of opportunities to respond (OTR) and generation demand on retention of multiplication combinations. Using a between subject 2 × 2 factorial design, 103 4th and 5th grade students were taught seven multiplication combinations using one of four versions of IR that orthogonally varied OTR (high versus low) and generation demands (high versus low). A two-way ANOVA revealed main effects for OTR, generation demands, and an interaction of the two factors. The effect of generation demands was large (d = 1.31), whereas the overall effect of OTR was moderate (d = 0.66). Critically, the two factors interacted, with the largest learning gains observed when OTR and generation demands were both high. The results of this study suggest that generation demand is an important factor in the effectiveness of rehearsal interventions.     

Investigating the motivational factors influencing drivers intentions to unsafe driving behaviours: Speeding and overtaking violations

Achieving road safety depends on driver attitudes and behaviours in handling the vehicle on roads. The availability of good road, improvement of vehicle designs and drivers experience lead to reduction in crashes but not prevention of crashes. The study aims to predict the drivers’ intentions towards speeding and overtaking violations when under the influence of motivational factors using belief measure of TPB and DBQ variables. To achieve this, questionnaires were randomly administered to a sample of Ghanaian drivers (N = 354) who held valid driving licenses. This study applied regression techniques. The result shows that the components of TPB and DBQ variables were able to predict drivers’ intentions towards speeding and overtaking violations. The study further shows that components of TPB made larger contributions to the prediction of divers’ intentions to speeding and overtaking than the DBQ. Further analysis revealed that, in the prediction of drivers’ intentions, speeding attitude was the most frequent violations compared to overtaking. The drivers tend to involved in overtaking violations when they perceived the driving motivations would enhance the performance of the behaviour. Additionally, control belief has been the strongest predictor of drivers’ intentions under the influence of motivations to speeding and overtaking violations. It appeared that the drivers who intended to involve in speeding and overtaking violations had strong beliefs in the factors and are more likely to violate based on their beliefs. The practical implications of the findings for the development of interventions to promote road safety and positive changes are also discussed.     

The Motorcycle Rider Behavior Questionnaire: Psychometric properties and application amongst novice riders in Australia

The Motorcycle Rider Behavior Questionnaire (MRBQ) was developed to measure behavioral factors influencing motorcyclists’ crash risk including errors and violations as well as the use of motorcycle safety equipment via self-report. The aims of the present study were to (1) examine the previously examined psychometric properties of the MRBQ including the factor structure, internal consistency, and predictive validity in terms of self-reported crashes amongst experienced riders in the UK and Turkey; (2) examine the psychometric properties of the MRBQ not yet examined, including its stability, content validity, and predictive validity in terms of police-recorded crashes and offences as well as self-reported near crashes and crashes; and (3) assess the applicability of the MRBQ to a population of novice riders in Australia, to whom the MRBQ has not been applied to date. Novice riders (N = 1305) in the state of Victoria, Australia participated in the present study. Confirmatory factor analyses showed that the present data did not fit with the previously found factor models in experienced riders in the UK and Turkey. Principal axis factoring was performed to respecify the MRBQ factor model amongst novice riders and revealed four scales: errors; speed violations; stunts; and protective gear. The insufficient internal consistency, stability, content and predictive validity demonstrated by the MRBQ in the present study and some inconsistencies amongst the three MRBQ studies suggest that the development and refinement of the MRBQ items are required before wider use of the MRBQ instrument, especially amongst novice riders. Possible causes of the limited reliability and validity of the current MRBQ are discussed to inform further development and refinement of the items, thereby making the MRBQ more useful in future research to understand and evaluate riders’ behaviors.     

Drunk driving offenders’ knowledge and behaviour in relation to alcohol-involved driving in Yinchuan and a comparison with Guangzhou,China

ObjectiveThis study was conducted after a legislative amendment criminalising drunk driving (BAC > 80 mg/100 ml) had been in force for a year and investigated whether drunk driving offenders in Yinchuan, China were aware of the law, and whether their knowledge of and exposure to enforcement and the existence of alcohol use disorders were related to their alcohol-involved driving behaviour. The results were compared with results from an earlier study in Guangzhou, China.MethodA survey was conducted from July to October 2012 in Yinchuan to collect information on drunk driving offenders’ knowledge and practice in relation to alcohol-involved driving. The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) was used to assess hazardous drinking levels. In total, 106 drunk driving offenders were recruited while in detention. The findings were compared with those of the Guangzhou study, where the same procedure was used to recruit 101 drunk driving offenders.ResultsThe mean age of the sample was 31.7 years (SD = 8.1; range 17–59 years). Males constituted 96% of the sample. The mean age at which offenders reported starting to drink alcohol was 18.7 years (SD = 3.2; range 10–26 years). Driver’s licenses had been held for an average of 8.5 years. The status of knowledge in relation to alcohol-involved driving in Yinchuan was slightly lower in proportion than in Guangzhou. The rate of alcohol-involved driving reported in the previous 12 months in Yinchuan (43%) was slightly higher than in Guangzhou (39%). The proportion of recidivists in Guangzhou (21.8%) was higher than Yinchuan’s (10.4%). On average, offenders had experienced 1.6 police alcohol breath tests in the previous year (SD = 1.3; range 1–10). AUDIT scores indicated that a substantial proportion of the offenders had high levels of alcohol use disorders.DiscussionLimited awareness of legal alcohol limits might contribute to drunk driving offences. The high level of alcohol consumption by many offenders suggests that hazardous drinking levels may be a contributor. Recidivist drivers also had higher AUDIT scores, which suggest there may be benefit in using the AUDIT to identify potential drink drivers and recidivists, subject to further research.     

Flying without navigational aids – The case of commercial motorcyclists in Minna,Nigeria

The study investigated motorcycle operators in Minna city with a view to observing the riders’ signaling behavior and the presence or absence of navigational aids and their usage. The study was carried out in three stages. First, a 15 min rapid survey of 3135 motorcyclists was carried at both ends of three pre-selected busy roads with emphasis on observing the possession of navigational aids by the motorcyclists. Secondly, another set of study on signaling behavior was carried out in another three junctions within a 15 min period and finally an interview was conducted among 120 commercial and private motorcyclists from commercials and office parks for a more detailed study. The mean age and mean year of riding experience of the commercial motorcyclists were 28 (SD = 5.9) and 4 years (SD = 2.1) respectively compared to 32 (SD = 7.4) and 7 (SD = 7.4) years for private motorcyclists. The findings show that 18.1% of the motorcyclists had no trafficators and as high as 85.3% had no side mirrors. Of the 626 motorcyclists studied for signaling behavior, 574 (91.7%) failed to trafficate while turning at junctions. It was also found that 65 (54.2%) of the 120 motorcyclists interviewed had accidents with their motorcycles. Chi Squared test shows that effect of possession of side mirror on accident experience is not statistically significant (χ² = 2.11, p = .349) while possession of trafficators (χ² = 5.99, p = .050) and driving license (χ² = 12.603, p = .000) are statistically significant. The study revealed that 61.5% of motorcyclists that have trafficators had experienced accidents which points out the fact that riding behavior is more critical in road safety than having a perfect vehicle. The study recommends, among others, that the Federal Road Safety Corps and Vehicle Inspection Officers should be as strict with the motorcyclists as they are with the motorists in enforcing road safety.     

Community violence exposure and callous–unemotional traits in adolescents: Testing parental support as a promotive versus protective factor

Although callous–unemotional (CU) traits are associated with maladjustment in youth, literature predicting CU using prospective designs is rare. In the present study we examine associations between exposure to community violence, supportive relationships with caregivers, and CU in a sample of 236 low-income youth (M age = 13.00 years, SD = 1.56 years; 43% male; 92% African American) participating in a 3-wave longitudinal study of violence exposure and adjustment. Both promotive and protective models of linkages between exposure to community violence, support, and CU were investigated. Given known sex differences in CU, sex was explored as a moderator. Regression analysis revealed that witnessing and hearing about community violence, aggregated over 2 waves, were positively associated with CU at the final study wave. Supportive relationships with caregivers, aggregated over 2 waves, were negatively associated with CU but did not interact with violence exposure, suggesting that supportive relationships with caregivers has a promotive but not a protective association with CU in the context of exposure to violence. The pattern of associations did not vary by sex. This study informs our understanding of factors that contribute to the development of CU.     

Barriers to children’s walking to school in Iranian and Chinese samples

Factors that contribute to children’s walking to school have been investigated in previous research, which primarily focussed on socio-economic variables in high income countries. There is a general lack of studies which have examined mode choice differences on school trips in low and middle income countries. Focusing on parental social cognitive variables in addition to household socio-economic characteristics, the present study is among the first to compare barriers to children’s walking in daily commuting to schools across samples from two middle income countries: Iran and China. A self-administered questionnaire was devised and distributed among primary school pupils (7–9 years old) in Mashhad, Iran and Nanjing, China. The children were asked to take the questionnaires to their parents to complete and return the filled forms. A total of 671 (response rate of 90 percent) and 224 (response rate of 82 percent) completely filled questionnaires were returned in Mashhad and Nanjing, respectively. Multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) showed that parents in Mashhad perceived higher risk and reported more worry of children being involved in road crashes when walking to school. Analyses revealed more safety favourable parental attitudes in the Chinese sample, compared to the Iranian sample. Parental attitudes towards transport safety were safer in the sample from Nanjing as compared to Mashhad. Hierarchical binary logistic regression showed that walking time from home to school and parental worry about road crashes were negatively associated with children’s walking to school in both samples. In the Iranian sample, results suggested that while household car ownership and higher family income were associated with a decreased probability that a child walk to school, the total number of children in the household increased the probability of walking to school.