Should ‘Cyrus the Centipede’ take a hike? Effects of exposure to a pedestrian safety program on children's safety knowledge and self-reported behaviors

IntroductionWe report the first evaluation of the popular “Cyrus the Centipede” child pedestrian safety program.MethodA pre-test/post-test control versus experimental condition design was used to assess Cyrus' impact on third graders' pedestrian safety knowledge, and self-reported pedestrian behaviors.ResultsAlthough some beneficial effects were observed, the program was not reliably effective. In particular, the impact of exposure to Cyrus was strongly influenced by the individual teacher who delivered it, likely due to the highly unstructured nature of the curriculum.SummaryWe suggest that: (a) the effectiveness and reliability of such programs be demonstrated before they are widely adopted; and (b) programs that focus on training children in actual or simulated traffic environments may be more effective than those that primarily focus on teaching safety facts and rules.