ResearchArticle
The Effect of Parenting Styles on Children’s Familiarity with
Traffic Signs
Parastoo Rezaei ,
1
Kayvan Aghabayk ,
1
and Lyndel Bates
2
1
School of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
2
School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Griffith Criminology Institute, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia
CorrespondenceshouldbeaddressedtoKayvanAghabayk;kayvan.aghabayk@ut.ac.ir
Received 4 June 2021; Accepted 12 November 2021; Published 3 December 2021
AcademicEditor:NagendraRVelaga
Copyright © 2021 Parastoo Rezaei et al. is is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution
License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is
properly cited.
ecommunity,andespeciallythefamily,affectschildren’strafficsafety.Parentsinfluencechildren’scurrentandfuturetraffic
behaviors. Numerous studies have demonstrated a relationship between parenting style and children’s behavioral problems
such as antisocial behaviors and delinquency, so the modification of parenting styles could have a positive impact on the
interactions between parents and children. In the literature on children’s traffic safety, parental influence has long been
recognizedasanimportantaspectofresearch,butparent-relatedfactorsaremostlyunknown.Inparticular,afactorthatcan
affectparents’attitudesandchildren’sviewsofroadsafetyisparentingstyle.erefore,thisstudyaimstoexaminechildren’s
knowledgeoftrafficsignsutilizingaparentingstyles’perspective.edeterminingroleofdemographiccharacteristicsintraffic
skills is critical and is investigated in this study. In this study, 1011 preschool, first-, second-, and third-grade students were
interviewed and information about parenting styles and demographic characteristics were collected from questionnaires
completed by parents. rough interviews, children’s familiarity with law enforcement and informative signs was assessed.
Resultsindicatedthatolderchildrenandthosewithhighersocioeconomicstatushadbetterskillsinthisfield.eresultsalso
showedthatparentscouldimprovetheirchildren’sunderstandingofsignsbylessuseofinconsistentdisciplineandcorporal
punishments. Parental negligence, contradictory use of corporal punishment, and nonuse of positive behaviors are some
factors which are most likely related to children’s knowledge of traffic signs and rules. e findings of this study can guide
parentsandassistrelevantauthoritiestoimplementpoliciestomoreeffectivelytrainyoungchildrenbydevelopingpractical
and targeted resources.
1. Introduction
Researchershavelongfoundthatchildren’sdevelopmentis
influenced by their characteristics, families, and society [1].
Many studies indicate the effects of parental practices and
attitudes on children’s road safety [2–4]. Parents are most
likely the primary source of instruction for children about
road safety. Parents’ perception of safety is important, and
they have frequent opportunities to educate their children.
However,parentsoftenlackanunderstandingonhowthey
affect their children at young ages [2].
Children’s road safety research has a number of foci.
Some researchers have examined children’s safety from a
demographic characteristics perspective. Furthermore, the
impactofparentsonchildren’sawarenessoftrafficrulesand
theirroadsafetyisimportant.Extensiveresearchhasshown
parentingstylesaffectawiderangeofchildren’seducational,
psychological,behavioral,andsocialcontexts[5–7].us,it
seems that investigating the effects of different types of
parentingonchildren’strafficbehaviorscouldimproveroad
safety in future. One factor that is likely to affect children’s
traffic knowledge is parenting styles.
Inordertoimprovesafetyontheroadsandcreategood
habitsforfutureroaduse,parentsshouldensureanadequate
focusonimprovingroadsafetyawarenessintheirchildren.
Improving children’s familiarity with traffic safety and
identifying significant factors can provide opportunities for
policymakers to increase all road users’ awareness, reduce
Hindawi
Journal of Advanced Transportation
Volume 2021, Article ID 2485992, 16 pages
https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/2485992