Cognizance of road safety among young adults based on unmediated and mediated responses

Abstract

Background: Road traffic accident (RTA) has been increasing to significantly higher percentages leading to disabilities and fatalities among the inhabitants, thereby causing social, emotional, and economical losses. In this study, an attempt was made to observe the prompt and the deferred effects of an “audiovisual program on road safety,” on the attitude and the knowledge of adolescents and young adults regarding the catastrophes on roadways and on how safety can be ensured. Materials and Methods: About 1760 students between 16 and 24 years were selected at random from various educational institutes in the city of Nagpur. With the aid of structured questionnaires, the participants were tested for their knowledge and attitude toward the traffic rules. At the end of this assessment, there was an interactive educational audiovisual PowerPoint presentation that highlighted the likely complications and long-term adverse effects of RTA. After the presentation phase, two questionnaire rounds were scheduled: one immediately following the presentation and another after 3 months to observe the change in their knowledge and attitude. Results: The resultant positive attitudinal change immediately after the intervention was significant. However, the positive attitudinal change dropped significantly after 3 months to a percentage almost comparable to the preexposure attitudinal level. Conclusion: It can be concluded that adolescents and young adults need to be repeatedly administered by indulging them in such enlightening pedagogical programs, in order to reduce the incidence of road accidents.

Keywords

• attitude
• knowledge
• road traffic accidents