Effectiveness of digital media in accident prevention among adolescents—a comparison between VR- and tablet-based approaches
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55329/vwfx9247Keywords:
road safety, traffic education, virtual reality (VR), Western EuropeAbstract
Despite ongoing efforts, traffic accidents continue to pose a significant risk to children and adolescents. Conventional traffic education often fails to account for age-specific developmental stages or to engage pupils in an age-appropriate and engaging way. This study examines the integration of a Virtual-Reality (VR) module into an existing digital accident prevention programme within the EU Horizon project SOTERIA and evaluates whether this immersive extension is associated with improved pupils’ understanding of accident causes and enhance their safety awareness. The programme was implemented in two research settings in Germany: in the City of Munich, the conventional tablet-based programme was conducted, while in Saxony the programme was extended with a VR module to allow experiential exploration of real accident scenarios. Standardized questionnaires assessed pupils’ satisfaction, perceived learning, usability of the VR technology, and changes in attitudes and safety-related behaviour. The results suggest that pupils in the VR-supported programme reported higher engagement, a deeper understanding of traffic risks, and more positive safety-related attitudes and behaviours than those participating in the tablet-based programme. These findings highlight the potential of immersive digital media to support road safety education through experiential learning and suggest that VR may be a valuable addition to established prevention programmes.
Downloads
Author Biographies
-
Denis Preissner, Dekra (Germany)
Denis Preissner is a graduate of the University of Stuttgart, where he completed his bachelor's and master's degree in mechanical engineering. His research interests cover accident statistics, traffic and occupant safety as well as active vehicle safety and ADAS systems, and, recently, urban planning. Since 2024, he works as an engineer at Accident Research at DEKRA Automobil GmbH in Germany.
CRediT contribution: Data curation, Formal analysis, Visualization, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing.
-
Vanessa Sarah Hilse, Fraunhofer Institute for Transportation and Infrastructure Systems
Vanessa Sarah Hilse holds a Bachelor's degree in transport economics and a Master of Science in aviation and logistics from the Technical University of Dresden. She works as a researcher at the Fraunhofer Institute for Transportation and Infrastructure Systems. Hilse specialises in road and air traffic safety and works with VR glasses in accident prevention. She represents the Fraunhofer IVI as national ambassador for Germany within the ERSC.
CRediT contribution: Conceptualization, Investigation, Methodology, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing.
-
Maria Pohle, Fraunhofer Institute for Transportation and Infrastructure Systems
Maria Pohle leads the group of ‘vehicle and road safety’ at the Fraunhofer Institute for Transportation and Infrastructure Systems. Her research interests include statistical modelling, infrastructure and vehicle safety, accident prevention as well as the assessment of ADAS. Pohle holds a diploma in transport and transportation engineering from the Technical University of Dresden. She is a member of IRTAD.
CRediT contribution: Conceptualization, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Writing – review & editing.
-
Nora Strauzenberg, Fraunhofer Institute for Transportation and Infrastructure Systems
Nora Strauzenberg is a researcher at the Fraunhofer IVI. She holds a diploma in Psychology. Her research focuses on older drivers and age influences on the traffic education of children. In this context, she works on conceiving accident prevention programmes for children and adolescents. Her research interests include the psychological aspects of mobility of vulnerable road users and criterion-guided evaluation of school route safety materials.
CRediT contribution: Conceptualization, Investigation, Methodology.
References
ADAC-Stiftung (2024). Jedes vierte Grundschulkind wird an mehr als der Hälfte aller Tage von den Eltern zur Schule gefahren.
Alrehaili, E. A., & Al Osman, H. (2022). A virtual reality role-playing serious game for experiential learning. Interactive Learning Environments, 30(5), 922-935.
Bamberger, R. (1998). Zur Gestaltung und Verwendung von Schulbüchern. Mit besonderer Berücksichtigung der elektronischen Medien und der neuen Lernkultur, Wien: ÖBV Pädagogischer Verlag.
Bandi, S., Ozden, S. G., & Ashour, O. A. (2024). The Impact of Immersion Level when Learning Optimization Concepts Via a Simulation Game. 2024 Winter Simulation Conference (WSC), 3094-3105.
Bart, O., Katz, N., & Weiss, P. L. N. (2008). Street Crossing by Typically Developed Children in Real and Virtual Environments. OTJR: Occupational Therapy Journal of Research, 28(2), 89-96.
Barton, B. K., & D., C. (2007). The roles of age, gender, inhibitory control, and parental supervision in children's pedestrian safety. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 32(5), 517-526.
BASt (2024). Niemals ohne mein Smartphone: Ablenkung im Straßenverkehr, Bundesanstalt für Straßen- und Verkehrswesen.
Bundesverkehrsministerium (2025). Mobilität in Deutschland – MiD Ergebnisbericht, Bonn, Berlin: infas Institut für angewandte Sozialwissenschaft GmbH, DLR, IVT und infas 360 im Auftrag des Bundesministers für Verkehr (FE-Nr. VB600001).
Carson, J., & Jost, G. M. (2025). Ranking EU progress on road safety. 19th Road Safety Performance Index (PIN) Report, Brussels: European Transport Safety Council (ETSC).
DEKRA (2025). Macht Spaß, macht sichtbar! DEKRA Kinderkappen, DEKRA Automobil GmbH.
Destatis (2025). Statistischer Bericht - Verkehrsunfälle 2024, Wiesbaden: Statisches Bundesamt (Destatis).
Đorđević, N. D., Đorđević, V. N., & Jovović, T. N. (2024). Immersive Virtual Reality. Modern Information Technologies And IT-Education, 20(1), 129-138.
Dragutinovic, N. D. (2006). The effectiveness of road safety education: A literature review, SWOV Institute for Road Safety Research.
Erbsmehl, C. T., & Pohle, M. N. (2019). Die Fraunhofer IVI Accident Prevention School (FAPS): Interaktive Unfallprävention an Schulen. Unfallforschung 2019: Symposium für Unfallforschung und Sicherheit im Straßenverkehr, ADAC Stiftung München, Hochschule für angewandte Wissenschaften Kempten; Göttingen: Cuvillier.
European Commission (2025). Annual statistical report on road safety in the EU, 2025, Brussels: European Road Safety Observatory, Directorate General for Transport.
Feenstra, H., & Ruiter, R. A. G. (2010). Social-cognitive correlates of risky adolescent cycling behavior. BMC Public Health, 10(1), 408.
Funk, W. (2023). Materialien für die schulische Verkehrserziehung und Mobilitätsbildung. Ein aktueller Überblick, Nürnberg: Institut für empirische Soziologie.
Hoffmann, E. R., & Payne, A. S. (1980). Children's estimates of vehicle approach times. Hum Factors, 22(2), 235-240.
Huang, H.-M., Tai, W.-S., & Huang, T.-C. C.-Y. (2025). Optimizing inquiry-based science education: verifying the learning effectiveness of augmented reality and concept mapping in elementary school. Universal Access in the Information Society, 24(1), 681-694.
ITF (2025). Road Safety Annual Report 2025, Paris: OECD Publishing.
Jackson, E. A. (2024). The Evolution of Artificial Intelligence: A Theoretical Review of its Impact on Teaching and Learning in the Digital Age, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics; EconStor Preprints.
Laubig, M., & Peters, H. P. (1986). Methodenprobleme der Schulbuchanalyse: Abschlußbericht zum Forschungsprojekt 3017 an der Fakultät für Soziologie der Universität Bielefeld in Zusammenarbeit mit der Fakultät für Wirtschaftswissenschaften, Bielefeld: Universität Bielefeld.
Makransky, G., & Terkildsen, T. S. R. E. (2019). Adding immersive virtual reality to a science lab simulation causes more presence but less learning. Learning and Instruction, 60, 225-236.
Merchant, Z., Goetz, E., Cifuentes, K., & Keeney-Kennicutt, W. T. (2014). Effectiveness of virtual reality-based instruction on students’ learning outcomes in K-12 and higher education: A meta-analysis. Computers & Education, 70(1), 29-40.
Meyer, O., & Omdahl, M. G. (2019). Investigating the Effect of Pre-training when Learning through Immersive Virtual Reality and Video: a Media and Methods Experiment. Computers & Education, 140, 103603.
Morrongiello, B., Corbett, M., Milanovic, M., & Pyne, S. R. (2015). Innovations in using virtual reality to study how children cross streets in traffic: Evidence for evasive action skills. Injury Prevention, 21(4), 266-270.
Nawaz, I., Cuenen, A., Wets, G., & Paul, R. D. (2025). Advancing Online Road Safety Education: A Gamified Approach for Secondary School Students in Belgium. Applied Sciences, 15(15).
Paramita, P. E., Julanons, J., Fayola, A. D., & Sabur, F. D. L. (2024). Utilization of Virtual Reality (VR) in Developing Interactive Learning Experiences. al-fikrah: Jurnal Manajemen Pendidikan, 12(1), 136-148.
Poudel-Tandukar, K., Nakahara, S., Ichikawa, M., & Poudel, K. M. (2007). Risk perception, road behavior, and pedestrian injury among adolescent students in Kathmandu, Nepal. Injury Prevention, 13(4), 258-263.
Radianti, J., Majchrzak, T. A., & Fromm, J. I. (2020). A systematic review of immersive virtual reality applications for higher education: Design elements, lessons learned, and research agenda. Computers & Education, 147, 103778.
Schlag, B., Richter, S., & Buchholz, K. T. (2018). Ganzheitliche Verkehrserziehung für Kinder und Jugendliche Teil 1: Wissenschaftliche Grundlagen, Berlin: Unfallforschung der Versicherer.
Schwebel, D. C., Davis, A. L., & O’Neal, E. E. (2012). Child Pedestrian Injury: A Review of Behavioral Risks and Preventive Strategies. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 6(4), 292-302.
Schwebel, D. C., & Gaines, J. J. (2008). Validation of virtual reality as a tool to understand and prevent child pedestrian injury. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 40(4), 1394-1400.
Schwebel, D. C., & McClure, L. A. J. (2014). Teaching Children to Cross Streets Safely: A Randomized, Controlled Trial. Health Psychology, 33(7). 628-638.
Singh-Pillay, A. (2024). Exploring Science and Technology Teachers’ Experiences with Integrating Simulation-Based Learning. Education Sciences, 14(8), 803.
Twisk, D. A. M., Vlakveld, W. P., Commandeur, J., & Shope, J. T. G. (2014). Five road safety education programmes for young adolescent pedestrians and cyclists: A multi-programme evaluation in a field setting. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 66C, 55-61.
Wang, H., Wu, M., & Cheng, X. D. C. (2019). The Road User Behaviours of Chinese Adolescents: Data From China and a Comparison With Adolescents in Other Countries. Annals of Global Health, 85(1), 76.
WHO (2023). Global status report on road safety 2023, Geneva: World Health Organization. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.
Wirthensohn, M. (2012). LEVANTO - Ein Tool zur praxisorientierten Schulbuchevaluation. Doll, J., Frank, K., Fickermann, D., & Schwippert, K. (eds.) Schulbücher im Fokus. Nutzungen, Wirkungen und Evaluation, Münster: Waxmann. 199-213.
Zhao, D., Zhang, S., Zhou, B., & Jiao, S. L. (2020). Risk Perception Sensitivity of Cyclists Based on the Cox Risk Perception Model. Sustainability, 12(7), 2613.
Published
Issue
Section
Categories
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Denis Preissner, Vanessa Sarah Hilse, Maria Pohle, Nora Strauzenberg
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
How to Cite
Funding data
-
HORIZON EUROPE Framework Programme
Grant numbers Grant Agreement No 101077433
