Road Safety Education and Injury Prevention Program for School Children through Community Partnerships at Wat Samoson School

The interactive road safety initiative executed at Wat Samoson School by Asst. Prof. Dr. Muhammad Awais-E-Yazdan and a dedicated team of 40 students from department of occupational health & Safety, School of Public Health, Walailak University represents a vital step in advancing practical public health education. Targeting 100 primary school students at Wat Samoson School, the project transformed road safety into engaging, age-appropriate experiences while directly contributing to UN SDG 4: Quality Education and UN SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals.
To maximize retention, the team structured the training around three dynamic stations:
• Station 1 (Road Signs & Driving Challenge): Immersed Wat Samoson School students in a simulated traffic environment to recognize road signs and practice safe navigation in real time.
• Station 2 (Spot the Difference Game): Sharpened observation skills by challenging children to identify risky behaviors, such as unbuckled seatbelts or missing helmets.
• Station 3 (Jump & Choose Challenge): Blended physical play with fast decision-making, requiring students to jump onto correct safety choices during timed scenarios.
Replacing passive lectures with active, play-based learning successfully captured the full focus of the primary students at Wat Samoson School, reinforcing the practical impact of safety education (SDG 4). The rigorous pretest and posttest methodology provided clear, measurable proof of the children’s progress in traffic safety awareness and risk recognition.
Additionally, the active participation of 40 university mentors offered personalized guidance, demonstrating the real-world value of university-community collaborations (SDG 17). Ultimately, this initiative highlights the power of interactive education in translating public health concepts into life-saving habits for young children at Wat Samoson School.