Are child pedestrians at increased risk of injury on one-way compared to two-way streets?

OBJECTIVES To compare child pedestrian injury rates on one-way versus two-way streets in Hamilton, and examine whether the characteristics of child pedestrian injuries differ across street types. METHODS The rates of injury per child population, per kilometre, per year were calculated by age, sex and socio-economic status (SES). Child, environment and driver characteristics were investigated by street type. RESULTS The injury rate was 2.5 times higher on one-way streets than on two-way streets and 3 times higher for children from the poorest neighbourhoods than for those from wealthier neighbourhoods. SES, injury severity, number of lanes, collision location and type of traffic control were also found to be significantly different across street types. CONCLUSIONS One-way streets have higher rates of child pedestrian injuries than two-way streets in this community. Future risk factor and intervention studies should include the directionality of streets to further investigate its contribution to child pedestrian injuries.

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