Motor vehicle-pedestrian collisions and walking to school: the role of the built environment.
OBJECTIVE
Initiatives to increase active school transportation are popular. However, increased walking to school could increase collision risk. The built environment is related to both pedestrian collision risk and walking to school. We examined the influence of the built environment on walking to school and child pedestrian collisions in Toronto, Canada.


METHODS
Police-reported pedestrian collision data from 2002 to 2011 for children ages 4 to 12, proportion of children walking to school, and built environment data were mapped onto school attendance boundaries. Collision rates were calculated by using 2006 census populations and modeled by using negative binomial regression.


RESULTS
There were 481 collisions with a mean collision rate of 7.4/10 000 children per year. The relationship between walking proportion and collision rate was not statistically significant after adjusting for population density and roadway design variables including multifamily dwelling density, traffic light, traffic calming and 1-way street density, school crossing guard presence, and school socioeconomic status.


CONCLUSIONS
Pedestrian collisions are more strongly associated with built environment features than with proportions walking. Road design features were related to higher collision rates and warrant further examination for their safety effects for children. Future policy designed to increase children's active transportation should be developed from evidence that more clearly addresses child pedestrian safety.
Child Health Evaluative Sciences, and Institute of Medical Science, linda.rothman@sickkids.ca.
Linda
L
Rothman
Child Health Evaluative Sciences, and Departments of Pediatrics, and Health Policy Management and Evaluation, and.
Colin
C
Macarthur
Child Health Evaluative Sciences, and Institute of Medical Science, Health Policy Management and Evaluation, and Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada; and.
Teresa
T
To
Department of Geography, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, Canada.
Ron
R
Buliung
Child Health Evaluative Sciences, and Health Policy Management and Evaluation, and Orthopaedic Surgery, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada; Surgery.
Andrew
A
Howard
D000063:Accidents, Traffic; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004779:Environment Design; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009864:Ontario; D012307:Risk Factors; D012449:Safety; D012574:Schools; D016138:Walking / Q000293:injuries*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control
environment; injuries; motor vehicles; prevention; public health; schools; walking