"LEVEL OF AWARENESS OF THE CRIMINOLOGY STUDENTS OF HARDAM FURIGAY

COLLEGES FOUNDATION INCORPORATED ON TRAFFIC SIGNS AND SIGNAGE"

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Traffic signs are an essential component of the road system, and their primary duty is
to provideinformation to road users in order to support the efficient and safe flow of
products and vehicles.All drivers must be well-versed in traffic signs, signage, and
pavement markings. Even in theabsence of an officer, every driver must be able to
recognize and obey them without hesitation.According to Statistics and research
conducted by University of the Philippines-Diliman (2010), pedestrian cases are the
most vulnerable but the most rapid occurrence on the roads. Accidents are
inevitable. The fault is either on the citizen or the lack of action and precautionary
measuresfrom the local government.
Criminology students should study traffic signs because they play a crucial role in
ensuring smooth traffic flow and preventing accidents. Ignoring road signs can lead
to catastrophic accidents, and drivers often overlook signs in front of their vehicles.
Therefore, studying traffic signs can help criminology students understand the
importance of following road signs and the potential consequences of not doing so.
Additionally, recognizing and understanding road signs is essential for making
informed decisions while driving, especially in adverse weather conditions and
darkness. By studying traffic signs, criminology students can gain knowledge about
the various features used for sign detection, such as color, shape, and texture. This
knowledge can be valuable in their future careers, as they may encounter situations
where they need to analyze and interpret traffic signs as part of their work in law
enforcement or crime prevention.
Theorical Framework
Traffic accidents have long been known as one of the critical issues, killing nearly 1.3
million people every year and causing tremendous economic and social loss
worldwide(WHO, 2011). The United Nations launched the Decade of Action for Road
Safety during the period 2011-2020 and provided the five pillars of road safety
activities,includingroad safety management, safer roads and mobility, safer vehicles,
safer road users, and post-crash response(WHO, 2011). Under the context of road
users, it is inevitable to address not only local road users but also unfamiliar users,
particularly international tourists.
The FIA Foundation for the Automobile and Safety (2010) published a report
highlighting international tourism and road deaths in the developing world. Road
crashes were found to be the highest fatality risks that international tourists were
likely to face in destination countries. In addition, tourists were likely to face
significantly higher road safety risks, compared with local residentsin most popular
tourist destinations, especially in developing countries.
Positioned as one of the top tourist destinations, Thailand has also emphasized on
road safety and the issue is regarded as a national agenda. However, international
tourists are not well targeted and have been mostly ignored for their safe travel.
While the Global Status Report on Road Safety 2013(WHO, 2013)reported that
Thailand has one of the world's worst road-safety records, the country has
welcomed more than 24million international visitors in 2014 (Department of
Tourism, 2015). According to the US Department of State’s statistics, Thailand is
among the worst countries where the majority of road fatalities of US citizens
abroad occurred with 16.49 deaths per million trips, followed by Vietnam and
Morocco(Sherry et al., 2015).
In Thailand, local highway authorities such as the Department of Highways and the
Department of Rural Roads mainly focus on road safety improvement projects for
local road users, while road transport regulators like the Department of Land
Transport concerns more on driving behavior and regulation for local motorists.
Under foreign settings, tourists could drive in unfamiliar surroundings,
misunderstand and misinterpret traffic signs and regulation, or even violate local
traffic law.
Based on a 2019 report, there are around 35 road crash fatalities happening each
day with an estimated 12,690 fatalities in a year. While I am not sure about the
recent numbers, the point is, road safety education is critical. Road safety teaches us
how to conduct ourselves while driving or crossing roads and the education behind it
is so important since, if you think traffic is just so bad today, it’ll only get worse if our
youth do not get educated accordingly.
The most obvious reason why road safety is so important is simply because many
lives are at stake when you’re on the road and teaching children in their early years
the importance of traffic rules means ensuring the safety of the next generation and
in turn also makes them law abiding citizens. Teaching guidelines on road safety
must be age appropriate and when taught in the early years, it certainly needs good
adult supervision.
Learning can be fun, as many say, and when teaching young children about road
safety, teachers need to transform learning into an effective interactive experience,
using certain techniques as they go along. In everything we learn, application is key,
therefore when teaching young children on road safety, parents and teachers can
demonstrate road rules to children while going on walks and crossing roads.
One of the things I particularly notice about young people on the road is their use of
headphones. It is simply a big no-no as this can affect a driver’s hearing and increase
the risk of an accident. While my children and I found ourselves discussing car
maintenance over Sunday lunch, we found it best to listen intently to my father’s
advise as a healthy car owner also establishes that the best way to ensure the safety
of the driver is to continue educating ourselves on the risks while developing more
knowledge and skills that enable everyone on the road to keep safe.
Part of what we hope to achieve in school is personal development and road safety
education can be integrated in this part of the curriculum due to the human factors
involved. Before any of us “hit the road,” we all start off as vulnerable road users,
which is why it is important to equip ourselves with the right tools for our safety and
well being.
We are always on the lookout for helping society function in the most optimal way
and a good road network is built on cooperation between society and its leaders.
Simply put, road safety education has an impact on the quality of our lives and we
must be knowledgeable
Respondent's about traffic laws and rules, driving carefully along accident
Profile
prone areas and regularly maintaining our cars if we own one.
Safetya. Ageoften begin at home and rightfully so, as the family
plans Levelisofthe
Awareness onand
most basic
b. Sex
most fundamental part of our society but in turn, it needs Traffic Signs
to also beand Signage in
reinforced
c. Driving Eligibility
schools and perhaps even in the workplace, and many of us could still use a re-
d. Driving
education Experience
in a system where education continues to grow, even in the area of
mobility.

Conceptual Framework

Figure 1. Interplay of Variables in the Study

As shown in Fig. 1, the diagram illustrates the relationship of both indipendent and
dependent variables. The framework gives a clear picture on how the study goes.
The respondent's demographic profile is the indipendent variable and the level of
awareness on Traffic Signs and Signage as dependent variable. The different
variables will be studied to prove whether or not associated with the level of
awareness on Traffic Signs and Signage
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
This study aims to determine the level of awareness of the criminology students of
HARDAM FURIGAY COLLEGES FOUNDATION INCORPORATEDSpecifically, it sought
answers to the following questions.
1. What is the demographic profile of the respondents in terms of

a. Age
b.Sex
c.Driving Eligibility
d.Driving Experience

2. What is the level of awareness of the respondents along the dimensions of the
traffic sign and signage?
3. Is there a significant difference in the level of awareness of the criminology
students of HARDAM FURIGAY COLLEGES FOUNDATION INCORPORATED in terms of:

a. Age
b. Sex
c. Driving Eligibility
d. Driving Experience

Hypothesis

1.There is significant difference on the level of respondent's awareness on Traffic

Signs and Signage in terms of:

a. Age
b. Sex
c. Driving Eligibility
d. Driving Experience
Scope and Delimitation

This study aims to determine the different profile of the respondents. Profiles can be
age, sex,driving eligibility and driving experience. Also, aims to determine the level of
awareness of therespondents along the dimensions of traffic signs and signage. And
finally, this study would liketo determine if there is significant difference in the level
of awareness of the student motorists of criminology along the dimensions of traffic
signs and signage when grouped according to their profile.

Significance of the Study

The study's findings will be significant addition to Land Transportation Office (LTO)
and Philippine National Police (PNP) since they will serve as one of the data for them
to develop traffic management programs or initiatives. Furthermore, the study's
findings will be useful to the Local Government Unit of Lamitan City specifically the
Traffic Management Office (TMO), as a ready reference in order to enact city
ordinances concerning traffic signs and rules and regulations. The findings of the
study will also benefit the community because they will feel more secure or safe
when using public roads. Furthermore, the study's findings benefit motorcycle
drivers because they will be more aware and discipline when operating the vehicles.
Furthermore, the researchers will benefit from the study's findings because of the
better awareness of traffic signs and signage. Finally, the study's findings could serve
as a springboard for future researchers in this field.