Interactive Training in Pedestrian and Bike Safety Grades 4-6

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Although pedestrian and bicycle collisions are one of the leading causes of death and severe injury in children, our review shows that there are currently no empirically-based, easily implemented prevention programs targeting comprehensive pedestrian and bicycle safety skills for children ages 9-12. Data from this age group indicate that multi- component interventions targeting peers, school staff, child, and family are necessary to effect change in pre-teen safety behaviors. This project will develop an interactive multimedia program to reinforce pedestrian and bicycle safety skills for children in grades 4-6, for use in both school and home settings. The Phase I prototype will use animated and video presentations and will cover 2 of the critical safety skills required for safe navigation on foot and by bike in the community: (a) understanding complex traffic patterns, and (b) appropriate helmet use. The critical features of this project are the utilization of interactive media for tailoring the instructional presentation to the individual user, the incorporation of instructional design features that have been shown to achieve maximum learning, the application of safety skills in video-based examples of real-life traffic situations, and video modeling using older teens. The program will be grounded in behavior change theory and will incorporate computer-based assessment with remediation to ensure content mastery. Phase II development will expand the interactive safety program to include a comprehensive set of pedestrian and bicycle safety skills (e.g., maintaining bike equipment, group riding, and crash avoidance) across urban, suburban, and rural environments; peer-led training activities; school-wide monitoring guidelines; lesson plans for teachers; and expansion materials for parents. The Phase I program will be evaluated in a pre- to post-test comparison with 40 4th 6th grade students.