This study examined the impact of Augmented Reality (AR) technology on learning achievement among first-year university students in safety education contexts within a Chinese higher education setting. The research employed a one-group pretest-posttest pre-experimental design involving 30 first-year university students during the first semester of the 2025 academic year. Participants were systematically selected through cluster sampling methodology from a public university in China. Research instruments comprised specially designed AR technology-enhanced lesson plans focused on safety education content and a validated learning achievement assessment instrument with established psychometric properties, including demonstrated reliability and validity measures. Data analysis procedures employed both descriptive statistical analyses (means and standard deviations) and inferential statistical methods (paired samples t-test) to examine differences between preintervention and post-intervention learning achievement outcomes. Results demonstrated that students' learning achievement following AR-enhanced instructional delivery was statistically significantly higher compared to preintervention baseline levels (p < 0.001). The findings indicate that learning activities systematically incorporating Augmented Reality technology demonstrated substantial educational efficacy in enhancing students' learning achievement in safety education, suggesting practically meaningful and educationally significant improvements in learning outcomes. These empirical results contribute meaningfully to the expanding body of research evidence supporting the strategic integration of AR technology within higher education pedagogical frameworks and provide valuable implications for curriculum designers and educational practitioners seeking to enhance student learning outcomes through innovative technological interventions in safety education contexts.