Reduced Sensitivity to Visual Looming Inflates the Risk Posed by Speeding Vehicles When Children Try to Cross the Road

Catherine Purcell, John P. Wann, Damian R. Poulter

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Almost all locomotor animals respond to visual looming or to discrete changes in optical size. The need to detect and process looming remains critically important for humans in everyday life. Road traffic statistics confirm that children up to 15 years old are overrepresented in pedestrian casualties. We demonstrate that, for a given pedestrian crossing time, vehicles traveling faster loom less than slower vehicles, which creates a dangerous illusion in which faster vehicles may be perceived as not approaching. Our results from perceptual tests of looming thresholds show strong developmental trends in sensitivity, such that children may not be able to detect vehicles approaching at speeds in excess of 20 mph. This creates a risk of injudicious road crossing in urban settings when traffic speeds are higher than 20 mph. The risk is exacerbated because vehicles movingfaster than this speed are more likely to result in pedestrian fatalities.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)429 - 434
Number of pages5
JournalPsychological Science
Volume22
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 9 Mar 2011

Keywords

  • vision
  • detection
  • looming
  • children
  • road
  • safety
  • time to contact
  • tau
  • perception
  • development

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