Master Colloquium Marie Xhauflair (EST) - An analysis of higher-order cycling skills in primary school children in the Netherlands

Speaker  

:

Marie Xhauflair

Title

:

An analysis of higher-order cycling skills in primary school children in the Netherlands

Abstract

:

The WEVER project, is a test suite developed to evaluate the mandatory primary school traffic education programs in the Netherlands by assessing four higher-order cycling skills (HOCS). These essential skills for cycling include decision-making at intersections (DMI), hazard perception (HP), gap acceptance (GA) and morally acceptable cycling behavior (MACB).

Through a descriptive and explanatory approach, this thesis analyzed the data collected in 2020 and 2022 from the WEVER test and examined the trends for each HOCS performance, bike use and involvement in collisions across years (2020 and 2022) and various provinces in the Netherlands. The overarching goal was to understand the role of traffic education on both skill development and safety outcomes for young cyclists.

The findings suggest that many children still lack fundamental cycling skills. Formal traffic education is paradoxically associated with a higher collision risk, while informal traffic reduces it. Given schools’ important role in the development of HOCS and the implementation of traffic education curricula, there is a clear need to analyze and assess traffic education curricula due to its contribution to cycling safety and skill development. Furthermore, initiatives to support parents in educating their children on each of the four HOCS to help reduce unsafe traffic situations may be beneficial.

Date

:

May 13, 2025

Time

:

11:00 hrs.

Building/Room

:

Ravelijn 3237

Graduation     Committee    

:

dr. Erik Roelofs

dr. Johannes Steinrücke