There are studies—though possibly biased ones—that show that children under the age of 10 can’t reliably (i.e.,>99%) handle the complexities of traffic:
For example, children under the age of ten cannot yet reliably estimate distances and speeds.
Directional hearing, the perception of several simultaneous processes and the right-left distinction are uncertain.
Even at this age, threatening noises often lead to dangerous escape reactions.
But kids learning and impulsivity vary dramatically. Know your kids. We let our kids go to school alone by age 7 - the only crossings were a very one low-traffic zebra crossing close to the school, one very safe street crossing with traffic lights, and the street directly in front of our house.
Part of why I’m okay with them crossing the streets they do cross is that they can use the strategy of only crossing when they can’t see any moving cars. This means they don’t have to use distance / speed estimation.
There are studies—though possibly biased ones—that show that children under the age of 10 can’t reliably (i.e.,>99%) handle the complexities of traffic:
But kids learning and impulsivity vary dramatically. Know your kids. We let our kids go to school alone by age 7 - the only crossings were a very one low-traffic zebra crossing close to the school, one very safe street crossing with traffic lights, and the street directly in front of our house.
Part of why I’m okay with them crossing the streets they do cross is that they can use the strategy of only crossing when they can’t see any moving cars. This means they don’t have to use distance / speed estimation.
And you can trust them to follow these rules even unattended.