# Teachers Perceptions on Early Childhood's Traffic and Life Safety Education Program Using VR
## 1 Introduction  
In 2018, 54 child pedestrians were killed in road accidents in South Korea, accounting for 33.1% of 163 children who died in traffic accidents [1]. Children are the most vulnerable when it comes to traffic safety, particularly in pedestrian accidents. In early childhood, physical functions are underdeveloped and the ability to maintain body balance and motor functions is not sufficiently developed. In addition, infancy exhibits traits that may affect what might happen in dangerous situations [2]. Infants should develop their ability to cope with safety on their own through safety education because adults cannot always protect them and do not know when a safety accident can occur. The objective of safety education is to induce infants to take safe actions on their own, and to achieve this, infants must be able to recognize risks on their own and develop practical coping skills with accidents [3]. Safety education for infants should be conducted indoors in early childhood educational institutions [4]. Infants lack the ability to perceive hazards, and even when recognizing the dangers of accidents, they do not respond appropriately. Even if the teacher creates a safe environment, the possibility of a safety accident will not decrease unless careful actions are taken [5]. By establishing the right knowledge and attitudes related to safety from infancy, it should be possible to improve the ability to foresee and respond to risks [6]. Early childhood education institutions are the most effective and systematic places for safety education for children. The knowledge or attitudes that can be obtained throughlife safety education at these educational institutions and should include the knowledge or attitudes necessary to live safely, rather than simply supervised or directed, or the attitude to predict and prevent risk factors and act prudently [7]. Safety education in early childhood education institutions consists of books, video materials, and storytelling, whereas safety education centered on practical training and experience is insufficient [8]. In the safety education of children, simulation situations or role-play that are most similar to reality are effective [9]. However, safety experience centers where young children can experience safety education are insufficient or limited in use, and safety education programs and teaching methods are also insufficient. However, it is difficult to cultivate practical safety skills that can cope with crisis situations through education that unilaterally transmits safety knowledge [10]. Therefore, safety education for infants should be centered on activities based on actual situations and experiences [11; 12]. Safety education using games is a method frequently used in early childhood education institutions, which induces the active participation of young children and is an activity that provides goal-oriented and rich learning opportunities through play with rules. In addition, if safety education activities are performed using VR, they can be conducted in early childhood education institutions without going to a separate experience hall. Infants can experience close to real life using the device and develop a variety of colors through animation effects, and the advantages of simulation or graphic depiction provided by the device can foster imagination and creativity. Infants can learn using a variety of materials through VR devices, so they can feel interested in learning and developing problem-solving skills and have an active learning attitude [13]. Research has shown that learning using multimedia is relatively efficient and effective in achieving self-learning outcomes [14; 15]. Virtual reality (VR) enables people to feel immersive through the five senses of the human body and a sense of reality as if they were actually in the space without having to directly experience an environment that is difficult to experience on a daily basis [16].