Evaluation of a road safety educational programme for senior elementary school students in Cambodia: A pilot study

Purpose: Road accidents are the leading cause of non-disease-related deaths among teenagers in Cambodia. However, Cambodian schools continue to lack road safety education programmes and standardised guidelines. This study evaluated the effects of a customised comprehensive road safety educational programme for older elementary school students in Cambodia. Design: We conducted a road safety educational programme at an elementary school in Cambodia. The programme consisted of seven parts and included content related to pedestrian and vehicle (car, motorcycle and bike) safety. Methods: We used a mixed method to evaluate changes in knowledge, attitudes and practices following the programme. For the quantitative evaluation, we conducted a quasi-experimental study using a nonequivalent control group pre-test-post-test design involving 52 students. The experimental group comprised fourth graders (aged 10 years) and the control group consisted of fifth graders (aged 11 years). For the qualitative evaluation, we conducted focus group interviews with six participants from the experimental group. Results: Post-test road safety knowledge (Z = -2.79; p = .005) and attitudes (Z = -2.05, p = .041) improved significantly in the experimental group. Qualitatively, three themes were identified: participants acquired new insights into road safety, they adopted more positive attitudes and they made an effort to practise road safety. Conclusion: This pilot study demonstrated a possible positive effect of a road safety educational programme, suggesting that, following additional verification, it could be used to improve road safety for older elementary school students in Cambodia.