KNOWLEDGE, PERCEPTION AND ATTITUDE TOWARDS ROAD SAFETY SIGNS AMONG PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN IBADAN NORTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, OYO STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

Traffic accident is one of the critical issues killing nearly 1.3 million people every year. RTAs are the leading causes of death globally among 15-19 years and second leading cause for those in 12-14years. Child pedestrian injury rates have been found to be highest in Africa and Asia and this has been attributed to the fact that many of them walk to school. Knowledge of road safety signs is therefore essential for students walking to school so they can safely navigate traffic environments. This research was designed to investigate the knowledge, perception and attitude towards road safety signs among public secondary school students in Ibadan North Local Government.The study was a descriptive cross-sectional study carried out among a total sample of 300 public secondary school students which were selected using a four-stage sampling technique. A pretested semi-structured interviewer-administered questionnaire was used. A 17-point knowledge scale was used to assess knowledge of road safety signs; knowledge scale of <8 was rated poor knowledge, KS of ≥8<12 was considered fair and KS ≥12 was rated as good. Also, a 24-point attitude scale was used to determine the attitude towards road safety signs; attitude score of <17 was poor while a score of ≥17 was rated good. A 18-point perception scale was also used to examine the perception towards road safety signs; perception score of<13 represented poor perception while a score ≥13represented good perception. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics such as Chi square test at p<0.05 level of significance. Age of the respondents was 14.4±2.0 years. Respondents, (27.3%) were in JSS1, 26.7% were in JSS2, 24.3% in SSS1 and 21.7% in SSS2. Majority, (54.7%) of the respondents were females while 45.3% were males.Only few, (28.0%) of the respondents had previously been exposed to road traffic accident or related injury. Some (46.3%), of the respondents walked to school,33.0% of the respondents had driven a bicycle/motorcycle/car before. Only, (15.3%) had good knowledge, 44.7% had fair knowledge and 40.0% had poor knowledge of road safety signs. Majority, (78.3%) had good attitude towards road safety signs and 86.7% had good perception. Fear of injury (79.2%) was the most identified factor influencing the use of road safety signs. The most outstanding source of information on road signs among the respondents was media (85.7%). There was a significant difference between class of respondents’ and knowledge of road safety signs. Poor knowledge, good attitude and good perception were documented among the study population. Health promotion and education activities in relation to road safety signs should be strengthened to all students during school health programs.