Using the Haddon matrix to improve environmental road safety factors around a school zone

Abstract

Road traffic-related injuries (RTIs) constitute a significant concern among schoolchildren. However, limited studies have identified road safety factors using the Haddon matrix and implemented related interventions. This study aims to analyze road safety factors in the Haddon matrix around a school zone and to explore the impact of an intervention on perceived safety and reported RTI risks. A baseline survey was conducted to investigate the safety perceptions of road environment surrounding the school among schoolchildren and their parents. An expert panel conducted an on-the-spot investigation to analyze potential road safety factors and interventions using the Haddon matrix. The effectiveness of the interventions was mainly evaluated by comparing changes in safety perceptions and the occurrence of RTIs before and after interventions. At baseline, 497 schoolchildren and 484 parents with pre-intervention data were included. The average age of the schoolchildren was 9.58 ± 1.79 years. The Haddon matrix systematically identified the risk factors associated with RTIs for schoolchildren pedestrians in the school zone. Guided by the Haddon matrix and an expert panel, three interventions were implemented, including increasing road safety education, improving road infrastructures, and enforcing the Family-Police-School traffic assistant mode. These interventions were related to positive safety perceptions, safe self-reported behaviors, and favorable expert evaluations regarding the school zone environment, with a 7.87% increase in schoolchildren who always felt safe when walking near the school, a 23.79% increase in schoolchildren who never crossed the street at any stretch of the road, and an 11.25% increase in parents who agreed it was always safe for their children to walk to school alone. Most participants were satisfied with the intervention and thought it was worth promoting. Experts’ re-assessment found that the road safety environment had improved compared to the previous conditions. Notably, no RTIs were reported at the school during the one-year study period (pre- or post-intervention). Safety interventions in environmental road safety, which were based on the Haddon matrix, were linked to enhanced safety perceptions among schoolchildren and parents. Future research should focus more on objective measurement to further explore the potential long-term effectiveness of environmental road safety factors.