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David, I'm afraid I don't know of Dr Petit but the UK Department for Transport commissioned a literature review of 'the development of children's attitudes to driving' quite recently - the study can be found here: http://www2.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roadsafety/research/rsrr/theme2/researchreport18/pdf/rsarr18.pdf Although the authors (Kevin Durkin and Andy Tolmie) mention that a link between child training and better driving is often suggested, they found no evidence to back it up and the few indications they received from the literature (p. 86 ff) suggest that cognitive transfer is limited in these circumstances. However, they say: "there are some aspects of driver skill ... where connections and transfer might be encouraged, the most obvious of these being hazard perception and reading the road, where the available cues and their interpretation would be reasonably consistent across experience as a pedestrian, as a cyclist and as a driver." And they make the policy recommendation that cycle training should include 'self-regulated learning' and 'reading the road'. I've also heard from road safety professionals that driving instructors can often tell almost immediately whether or not the learner driver has already had extensive cycle training. Regards, Christopher Peck Policy Co-ordinator CTC, the national cyclists' organisation Tel: 01483 238313 Mob: 07951 213 554 -----Original Message----- From: Cycling and Society Research Group discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of David Patton Sent: 06 July 2011 15:39 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Looking for a paper from 1995 Velo City -- Dr. Petit Can anyone help locate the paper or researcher mentioned in this post? Thanks --- This comes in the context of the daily list-serv of the US-based Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals (APBP). Many thanks, David Patton Washington, DC ***** From: michael ronkin [mailto:[log in to unmask]] Sent: Friday, July 01, 2011 4:54 AM To: 'Sarah O'Brien'; Apbp Listserv (E-mail) Cc: 'Peter L. Jacobsen' Subject: Re: [apbp] improving safety of all road users by starting with bikeand ped education in young road users Hi Sarah, great question, one that needs to be looked into more deeply. Here's what I can tell you, and I hope someone takes it further. In 1995, at the Velocity conference in Basel, I attended a session where a last-minute substitute presenter gave a fascinating report. He obtained the driving records of some 10,000 random French drivers; he interviewed them by phone (well, I'm guessing a bunch of underpaid interns did!) and asked them one simple question; did they ride bikes as children. The results were clear: those who had ridden bikes as children had much better driving records, like 2-3 times fewer crashes and moving violations that those who hadn't. He surmised there were 2 explanations: experience using the streets before getting behind the wheel of a car, and a greater sensitivity to other, more vulnerable road users. In the "safety in numbers "theory, the most common premise is drivers are more used to seeing bicyclists and pedestrians on the streets; but some of us also surmise there's a greater chance the drivers in those communities are also bicyclists and walk more. So now you're wondering "where can I get a hold of that study?" Unfortunately I have sought it with no luck. The speaker was last minute substitute, so there was no summary in the conference proceedings; he was talking from notes. 1995 was before the widespread use of the internet, so no luck in that area either. I do remember his name: Dr. Petit if anyone cares to try again. Or the study could be replicated. I don't know how privacy issues affect getting random drivers' records in the US, and I'm sure in phone interviews you'd get a lot of no responses, but with a large enough sample, if just 50% are willing to answer, that still gives you a statistically large enough pool. But with or without a study, I'm convinced this is one major reason why there are fewer crashes overall in places like the Netherlands and other bicycle-friendly places. Michael Ronkin PS I cc'd Peter Jacobsen, author of the original safety-in-number study, if he cares to chime in. ***** De : Sarah O'Brien [mailto:[log in to unmask]] Envoyé : 28 June, 2011 18:02 À : [log in to unmask] Objet : [apbp] improving safety of all road users by starting with bike and ped education in young road users Hi y'all, Is there any research or evidence out there to suggest that teaching bicycle and pedestrian education at younger ages leads to safer drivers when they're older? Thanks, Sarah ____________________________________________ Sarah Worth O'Brien Bicycle and Pedestrian Program Manager Institute for Transportation Research & Education NC State University 919-515-8703 ________________________________________________________________________ CTC - the UK's national cyclists' organisation provides a comprehensive range of services, advice, events, and protection for its members. CTC Charitable Trust, CTC's charity arm, works to promote cycling by raising public and political awareness of its health, social and environmental benefits, and by working with all communities to help realise those benefits. To find out more, to join or support CTC visit www.ctc.org.uk, or phone 0844 736 8451. Cyclists' Touring Club, a company limited by guarantee, registered in England number 25185. CTC Charitable Trust, a company limited by guarantee, registered in England number 5125969. 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