City roads enemy of children

By REBECCA WALSH

Auckland City has the highest rate of child pedestrian injuries in the country - more than double its proportion of children aged under 14.

Child pedestrian injuries are being highlighted as part of Kidsafe Week, which runs from October 18 to 25.

Pedestrian injury is among the three leading causes of death for New Zealand children, with drowning and car accidents (where the child is a passenger in a car).

Each year about 300 children are hospitalised and on average 17 die as a result of pedestrian injuries.

Child pedestrian injury is typically a problem in bigger cities where roads are bigger and busier, says Sue Kendall, Kidsafe Week national co-ordinator.

Research in the early 1990s found the three main risk factors for child injury were traffic speed, traffic volume and the incidence of parked cars obscuring children's vision.

"All of these are pretty concentrated in the Auckland region."

Between 1996 and 2000, 260 children injured as pedestrians were admitted to hospitals run by the Auckland District Health Board.

They made up 17.4 per cent of national hospitalisations involving child pedestrians but only 8.4 per cent of children aged 14 and under live in Auckland City.

Pacific Island children comprised two-fifths of the injuries.

But the problem is not confined to Auckland City.

Hospitals run by the Counties-Manukau and the Waitemata District Health Boards had the next highest number of hospital admissions.

The Kidsafe organisation has released the figures ahead of Kidsafe Week to try to raise greater awareness of the issue.

The Accident Compensation Corporation receives about $2.1 million in claims for pedestrian injuries involving children under 14 each year.

Although fewer children are walking to school than a decade ago there has been no corresponding decline in pedestrian injuries. Because many parents feel it is safer to drive their children to school there are more cars on the road.

Ms Kendall says children who walk unaccompanied to school are at three times greater risk of being injured.

Socio-economic factors also play a role. Children from poorer families may have no option but to walk. The family might not have a car or the parents are juggling shift work and unable to walk them to school. Often schools in poorer areas are near arterial routes. Not all pedestrian injuries happen on the road. A study published in the New Zealand Medical Journal found nearly 90 per cent of the 76 children injured in Auckland driveways between January 1998 and October 2001 were under 4. In 68 per cent of cases the child was reversed over by a relative.

The study recommended targeted public health messages to increase awareness, safer driveway design and the fencing of domestic rental properties.

Philip Morreau, a paediatric surgeon at Starship children's hospital, says many of the children he sees have been injured chasing a piece of play equipment on to the road.

They often suffer multiple fractures and injuries to many parts of the body.

Most spend a few days in hospital but for others it can be the beginning of months of rehabilitation or a lifetime of institutionalised care. Mr Morreau says the problem reinforces the need for close supervision and safe, fenced play areas.

Safer journeys to school

What's happening for Kidsafe Week?

Kidsafe is launching this year's campaign with a national Walk Me Home day on October 18, sponsored by ACC. It is also promoting the use of walking school buses, where parents walk with a group of children along an identified route to school.

In Auckland, 36 walking buses are operating or being set up. Infrastructure Auckland has said it will spend $100,000 developing walking buses, mainly to reduce traffic congestion around school gates.

Sue Kendall says if parents are unable to walk with their children or a walking bus is not available in the area, it is a good idea to walk the safest route with their children in advance.

If parents are unhappy about a road or intersection they believe is a problem they should "make noises" to their local council.

Who is most at risk?

Boys are more likely to be injured than girls, a pattern that continues into adulthood.

Maori children make up 23 per cent of the child population but 36 per cent of child pedestrian deaths and 27 per cent of hospital admissions. Pacific Island children make up 8.2 per cent of the child population but 16 per cent of hospital admissions.

Where and when do injuries occur?

A Land Transport Safety Authority study from 1996 to last year found injuries peaked from 3 to 5pm, which accounted for 38 per cent of injuries. A further 12 per cent happened between 8 and 9am.

About 90 per cent of injuries occurred in a 50km/h zone and 88 per cent during the day.

Most injuries happened when children ran across the road, stepped out from behind a parked car or were unsupervised.

Injuries peaked among 6-year-olds.

Why are children more likely to be injured?

Primary school-aged children do not judge speed and distance as well as adults. Their peripheral vision is not fully developed, so they are less likely to notice cars in their side vision. Children are smaller and harder to see. They are also easily distracted.

Further reading
Feature: Cutting the road toll

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