A Pre-Experimental Study to Assess the Effectiveness of Road Safety Education on Perception of Road Safety Among School Children

Background: Road traffic accidents (RTAs) are a leading cause of injury and death among children, especially those aged 10–15 years, due to their limited physical and cognitive development. In 2019, India reported 11,168 child fatalities from RTAs—an 11.94% increase from the previous year. Globally, over 186,000 children die annually from RTAs, with those in low- and middle-income countries at triple the risk compared to highincome nations. Tamil Nadu alone saw a 41.7% rise in RTA deaths since 2019. School-based road safety education is a key strategy to improve children's awareness and reduce such preventable injuries. Aims And Objectives: This study aimed to: 1. Assess the pre-test and post-test level of perception of road hazards among school children. 2. Evaluate the effectiveness of road safety education in improving perception of road hazards. 3. Identify the association between post-test levels of perception and selected demographic variables. Methodology: A quantitative research approach with a pre-experimental one-group pre-test and post-test design was adopted. The study was conducted at Government Higher Secondary School, Thiruporur, among 55 school children aged 12–15 years, selected using purposive sampling. Results: In the pre-test, many students showed low to moderate awareness about road hazards. After the road safety education intervention: 35 students (70%) demonstrated adequate perception, 17 students (31%) had moderate perception, 3 students (5%) still needed improvement, A paired t-test showed a significant improvement in post-test scores compared to pre-test scores (p < 0.05), indicating the effectiveness of road safety education. Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that road safety education significantly improves the perception of road hazards among school children aged 12 to 15 years. Implementing similar interventions can reduce the risk of road traffic injuries in this vulnerable population.