How Long Does It Take to Stop? Are Children Able to Stop on Demand?
Children’s physical and cognitive development plays a crucial role in their ability to react appropriately in dynamic traffic situations. One key aspect of traffic safety is the ability to stop movement quickly and accurately after receiving a stop signal. Distraction is a major contributor to road...
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MDPI AG
2025-04-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/9/4978 |
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| author | Ernst Tomasch Heinz Hoschopf Bernd Schneider Bettina Schützhofer Martin Söllner Barbara Krammer-Kritzer Michael Plank Hannes Glaser |
| author_facet | Ernst Tomasch Heinz Hoschopf Bernd Schneider Bettina Schützhofer Martin Söllner Barbara Krammer-Kritzer Michael Plank Hannes Glaser |
| author_sort | Ernst Tomasch |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Children’s physical and cognitive development plays a crucial role in their ability to react appropriately in dynamic traffic situations. One key aspect of traffic safety is the ability to stop movement quickly and accurately after receiving a stop signal. Distraction is a major contributor to road accidents, especially among children who are easily distracted and may not be fully aware of the traffic situation. It is crucial to understand that children up to a certain age may struggle to halt their movement once initiated. This study indicates that the stopping distance, time, and deceleration of children aged six to ten years after a specific stop signal at different speeds are strongly influenced by the speed of movement and the age of the children. The results show that in the “walking” test configuration, the children were able to stop within a range of 0.47 m to 0.63 m, with a shorter distance for older children. The stopping time ranges from 0.84 s to 1.21 s and correlates positively with age. The stopping time and distance of children were measured in both “running” and “walking” test configurations across different age groups. However, in the “running” test configuration, stopping distance is almost the same across all age groups, with children requiring between 1.72 m and 1.84 m and a stopping time ranging from 1.17 s to 1.28 s. In the “walking” test configuration, children are able to decelerate between 0.91 m/s<sup>2</sup> and 1.57 m/s<sup>2</sup>, while in the “running” test configuration, they are able to decelerate between 2.24 m/s<sup>2</sup> and 3.19 m/s<sup>2</sup>. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-bc7a25d8b5404393aefa037b43ed3ed6 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2076-3417 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Applied Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-bc7a25d8b5404393aefa037b43ed3ed62025-08-20T02:24:44ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172025-04-01159497810.3390/app15094978How Long Does It Take to Stop? Are Children Able to Stop on Demand?Ernst Tomasch0Heinz Hoschopf1Bernd Schneider2Bettina Schützhofer3Martin Söllner4Barbara Krammer-Kritzer5Michael Plank6Hannes Glaser7Vehicle Safety Institute, TU Graz, Inffeldgasse 13/6, 8010 Graz, AustriaVehicle Safety Institute, TU Graz, Inffeldgasse 13/6, 8010 Graz, AustriaVehicle Safety Institute, TU Graz, Inffeldgasse 13/6, 8010 Graz, AustriaSicher Unterwegs Verkehrspsychologische Untersuchungen und Nachschulungen, Schottenfeldgasse 28/8, 1070 Wien, AustriaSicher Unterwegs Verkehrspsychologische Untersuchungen und Nachschulungen, Schottenfeldgasse 28/8, 1070 Wien, AustriaSicher Unterwegs Verkehrspsychologische Untersuchungen und Nachschulungen, Schottenfeldgasse 28/8, 1070 Wien, AustriaBergstr. 39, 7501 Siget in der Wart, AustriaLimbergstrasse 54, 3500 Krems an der Donau, AustriaChildren’s physical and cognitive development plays a crucial role in their ability to react appropriately in dynamic traffic situations. One key aspect of traffic safety is the ability to stop movement quickly and accurately after receiving a stop signal. Distraction is a major contributor to road accidents, especially among children who are easily distracted and may not be fully aware of the traffic situation. It is crucial to understand that children up to a certain age may struggle to halt their movement once initiated. This study indicates that the stopping distance, time, and deceleration of children aged six to ten years after a specific stop signal at different speeds are strongly influenced by the speed of movement and the age of the children. The results show that in the “walking” test configuration, the children were able to stop within a range of 0.47 m to 0.63 m, with a shorter distance for older children. The stopping time ranges from 0.84 s to 1.21 s and correlates positively with age. The stopping time and distance of children were measured in both “running” and “walking” test configurations across different age groups. However, in the “running” test configuration, stopping distance is almost the same across all age groups, with children requiring between 1.72 m and 1.84 m and a stopping time ranging from 1.17 s to 1.28 s. In the “walking” test configuration, children are able to decelerate between 0.91 m/s<sup>2</sup> and 1.57 m/s<sup>2</sup>, while in the “running” test configuration, they are able to decelerate between 2.24 m/s<sup>2</sup> and 3.19 m/s<sup>2</sup>.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/9/4978childrenspeed and stopping abilitypedestrian behaviormotor skillsstopping timestopping distance |
| spellingShingle | Ernst Tomasch Heinz Hoschopf Bernd Schneider Bettina Schützhofer Martin Söllner Barbara Krammer-Kritzer Michael Plank Hannes Glaser How Long Does It Take to Stop? Are Children Able to Stop on Demand? Applied Sciences children speed and stopping ability pedestrian behavior motor skills stopping time stopping distance |
| title | How Long Does It Take to Stop? Are Children Able to Stop on Demand? |
| title_full | How Long Does It Take to Stop? Are Children Able to Stop on Demand? |
| title_fullStr | How Long Does It Take to Stop? Are Children Able to Stop on Demand? |
| title_full_unstemmed | How Long Does It Take to Stop? Are Children Able to Stop on Demand? |
| title_short | How Long Does It Take to Stop? Are Children Able to Stop on Demand? |
| title_sort | how long does it take to stop are children able to stop on demand |
| topic | children speed and stopping ability pedestrian behavior motor skills stopping time stopping distance |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/9/4978 |
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