School Road Safety Education in Uganda: Progress and Lessons Learned

Nkuruho, Tumwine; Isingoma, Cuthbert; Senserrick, Teresa · 2021 · DOAJ

DOI: 10.33492/JRS-D-20-00266

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Summary

This paper documents the progress and lessons learned from the Uganda Road Accident Reduction Network Organisation’s (URRENO) efforts to implement Road Safety Education (RSE) in Ugandan primary schools. The research is motivated by the high burden of road traffic injuries in Uganda, where over 3,400 people were killed in 2018, with a significant proportion being vulnerable road users and children under 18. Despite government investment in transport infrastructure, road safety allocations remained low, and prior to URRENO’s intervention, primary school children received no formal RSE and lacked awareness of safety rules. The study aims to evaluate the impact of URRENO’s initiatives, which evolved from a modest pilot into a national curriculum, and to share strategic insights for similar organizations in low-income countries. The study reviews URRENO’s activities beginning with the 2003 Production of Engineering Manuals, Specifications and Institutional Support (PEMSIS) project, funded by the World Bank. URRENO collaborated with the Transport Research Laboratory to develop RSE materials for Primary 1–4, which were adopted as part of the national curriculum. The paper details subsequent initiatives, including a 2013–2014 roll-out project funded by the CrossRoads Challenge Fund, which assessed the original 80 pilot schools and expanded training to 180 additional schools. Data collection involved surveys of teachers, headteachers, and pupils, as well as consultations with government stakeholders. The methodology emphasizes a participatory approach, using training-of-trainers models, and innovative educational tools such as videos, posters, and a road safety song. Key findings indicate that the RSE program significantly improved student outcomes. Pupils in targeted schools demonstrated better ability to apply correct road crossing rules and identify risks compared to control groups. Reported involvement of students in road crashes near schools decreased from 15% to 5% following the intervention. However, sustainability challenges emerged; while 96% of interviewed teachers retained knowledge of RSE techniques, only 26% of originally trained teachers remained in their initial schools due to government transfers, particularly affecting rural areas. Consequently, the availability and use of RSE materials declined in rural schools, where infrastructure limitations, such as lack of generators for videos, further hindered implementation. The paper concludes that evidence-based data collection, strong multi-stakeholder partnerships, and participatory approaches are critical for successful road safety interventions. URRENO continues to advocate for the expansion of RSE to upper primary levels (P5–P7) and for integrating RSE into teacher education colleges to ensure sustainability. The authors emphasize that while RSE alone does not eliminate crashes, it empowers children with the skills to navigate traffic safely. The study highlights the need for continued government support and budgetary allocation to maintain teacher capacity and address the decay of expertise caused by staff mobility, particularly in rural regions.

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• traffic safety culture

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• Applied Guidance: countermeasure evaluation