{"id":83176,"date":"2025-11-09T23:23:01","date_gmt":"2025-11-09T23:23:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/irap.org\/?p=83176"},"modified":"2025-11-09T23:27:48","modified_gmt":"2025-11-09T23:27:48","slug":"road-safety-and-neurodivergent-children","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/irap.org\/nl\/2025\/11\/road-safety-and-neurodivergent-children\/","title":{"rendered":"Verkeersveiligheid en neurodivergente kinderen"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Original article published by the Road Safety Foundation (RSF)<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

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Understanding the challenge<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The Road Safety Foundation (RSF) has launched a pioneering research initiative exploring how neurodivergent children experience and navigate the road environment. Funded by the\u00a0Road Safety Trust<\/strong>, the project seeks to build a stronger evidence base to understand the specific challenges faced by neurodivergent children and young people, and to identify practical measures that can make journeys safer, calmer, and more inclusive.<\/p>\n

Neurodivergence includes conditions such as\u00a0autism, ADHD, dyspraxia, dyslexia,<\/strong>\u00a0and others that affect how individuals process information, perceive risk, and respond to sensory experiences. While road design has for some time included consideration of physical disabilities, the needs of neurodivergent people have not yet been widely understood.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Image credit: Veja<\/span><\/span><\/a> – Shutterstock\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Initial evidence gathered by the RSF suggests that for some neurodivergent children, using roads can be particularly challenging. Traits such as impulsivity, sensory sensitivity, anxiety, or difficulty judging distance and speed can influence how safely and confidently they travel. In a pilot questionnaire conducted in 2024, two-thirds of neurodivergent respondents said that the way they process information or experience their environment affected their safety on the road. Over half reported being involved in a collision or near miss, and some described avoiding school or work journeys entirely due to anxiety.<\/p>\n

These findings point to an inequity in access to education and opportunity \u2013 one that this new project aims to address through research, collaboration, and design innovation.<\/p>\n

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A collaborative research effort<\/h3>\n

Led by the RSF Executive Director Dr Suzy Charman<\/strong>, the project brings together a multi-disciplinary team with expertise spanning road safety, psychology, inclusive design, and neurodivergence.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Partners include the\u00a0University College London Centre for Transport Studies<\/strong>, the\u00a0Royal College of Art\u2019s Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design<\/strong>, and independent specialists in autism, dyspraxia, and special educational needs. Local authorities, including\u00a0Oxfordshire County Council<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Safer Roads Greater Manchester<\/strong>, are also involved, alongside Oxford-based charities\u00a0Mental Health Natters<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0The Life Space Project<\/strong>, who will help connect the research with families and communities.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Image credit: DGLimages<\/span><\/span><\/a> – Shutterstock<\/em><\/p>\n

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Researching the road experience<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The project will be delivered in two main phases:<\/p>\n

Phase 1 \u2013 Discovery<\/strong>\u00a0will gather evidence through:<\/p>\n