title: Preventing road injuries in children by applying feedback devices.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this article is to determine how to prevent road injuries in schoolchildren by reducing the prevalence of speeding.
  
  
  METHODS
  On a busy road in the neighborhood of a preschool and two secondary schools in Oberhaching (greater Munich, Germany), a board was mounted next to the road (visible to the drivers as well as the pedestrians). The board consisted of a picture of a smiling child. Underneath the picture, an LED display read "Thank you!" in green blinking letters when the speed limit was adhered to and "Slowly!" in red blinking letters when speeding was detected. The main outcome assessment was the number of drivers adhering to the speed limit in the experimental condition (i.e., facing the device) compared to the number in the control condition (on the same road within the same time period but traveling in the opposite direction; i.e., drivers not facing the device).
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the control condition 27.6 percent (230) of drivers adhered to the speed limit compared to 41.1 percent (427) of drivers in the experimental condition, χ(2) = 36.1, P < .0001. Only 12 drivers exceeded the speed limit by more than 20 km per hour in the experimental condition, whereas 34 drivers did so in the control condition, χ(2) = 9.6, P < .01.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The display is associated with a significantly lower percentage of speeding drivers but does not seem to be sufficient, because the majority of drivers still did not observe the speed limit in the presence of the display. Additional factors on how speed reduction can be achieved will be discussed in the light of future applications and possible modifications of the device.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Munich Hospital, Munich, Germany. rainer.spiegel@med.uni-muenchen.de
authors.forename: Rainer
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Spiegel
authors.forename: Parvis
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Farahmand
authors.forename: Fábio Anciães
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Da Silva
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Claassen
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kalla
mesh_terms: D000054:Acceleration; D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000517:prevention & control*; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005246:Feedback; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D012449:Safety; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000517:prevention & control*