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Published on: June 9, 2020
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Improving children's traffic safety from a safety literacy perspective: A randomized trial
Huarong Wang1, Yang Chen1, Anni Wang2
1Department of Traffic Psychology, Institute of Special Environmental Medicine, School of Education Science, Nantong University, 9 Seyuan Road, Nantong, Jiangsu Province 226001, China.
Journal of Safety Research
|June 7, 2025
Summary
This study shows an integrated intervention significantly improved children's traffic safety literacy, particularly for those with lower baseline skills. The training enhanced knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors in a virtual reality pedestrian environment.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Safety
- Traffic Injury Prevention
- Educational Technology
Background:
- Road traffic injuries are a major cause of child mortality globally.
- Improving children's traffic safety literacy is crucial for preventing injuries.
- Existing safety education may not adequately address complex traffic negotiation skills.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate an integrated intervention for enhancing children's traffic safety literacy.
- To assess the intervention's impact on traffic knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors.
- To determine if the intervention is more effective for children with varying baseline literacy levels.
Main Methods:
- 120 children (9-13 years) were randomized into intervention or control groups.
- The intervention included adult-guided peer discussion and virtual reality (VR) pedestrian training.
- Assessments measured traffic safety literacy and VR street-crossing behaviors pre- and post-intervention.
Main Results:
- Children with low baseline literacy showed the greatest improvements in all safety aspects.
- All intervention participants exhibited safer and more efficient VR traffic behaviors than controls.
- Improved traffic behaviors were observed throughout the training period, despite a COVID-19 related delay.
Conclusions:
- The integrated intervention effectively boosted children's traffic safety literacy.
- The program demonstrated particular success in improving outcomes for children with initially low traffic safety literacy.
- This approach offers a promising strategy for enhancing child pedestrian safety.
