Webster, MASS. — Fifth graders in Webster are getting a crash course in safety in a way that's easy to relate to thanks to a van which acts as a video game hub packed with important tips and tricks.

“You’d think that they’re coming out and playing these games but they’re really learning,” injury presentation education specialist Dominick Dunbar said. “It’s kind of disguising the education in game from.”

In the last year and a half, Dunbar and the van have traveled to more than 30 schools teaching kids about everything from dangerous social media trends to how to stay safe in the kitchen.

“A lot of kids have started microwave fires, but we haven’t gotten to them yet, so they’ve experienced that, and they’ve learned from that, but a lot haven’t experienced water safety or have never been in a house fire or don’t have experience walking the streets,” Dunbar said.

One game focuses on navigating a busy street by foot and bike. It teaches kids to pay attention to their surroundings, rewarding them a point every time they successfully avoid an obstacle.

“Drivers and pedestrians are more distracted than they’ve ever been. People on their phones, kids on their phones, everyone is on their phone. No one is paying attention to the road and that is the biggest message we want to get across,” Dunbar said. “Don’t have your headphones in, don’t be on your phone, pay attention to what you’re doing.”

This comes as Worcester is implementing several road safety measures after a string of serious and deadly car crashes involving pedestrians. Dunbar said educating students can help prevent more crashes from happening in the future.

“You have to stop before cars come and when I was playing the game it was just really difficult to stop,” Rachel, a fifth grader, said.

Dunbar said the goal of Safety Quest, a partnership with UMass Memorial Health and Fundacion MAPFRE, is to make sure students can keep themselves safe, while becoming injury-prevention advocates at home and with their friends.

“As long as one kids takes one thing away and becomes safer, that’s a success to us,” Dunbar said.