Safety belt use among drivers and front passengers in Tehran: findings from observations and an interview survey

Objective (s): To assess safety belt use among derivers and front passengers in Tehran, Iran. This was a two-part cross -sectional study. First we conducted a direct observation on randomly selected sites in five geographic regions and one high way in Tehran from 8 to 9 AM for one week. Trained observers recorded use or non-use of seat belts, type of vehicle, gender and approximate age of drivers and front passengers. In the second part, 666 citizens in Tehran were interviewed about how often they fasten seat belt as well as reasons for using or not using it. In all 7720 vehicles were observed, 77.9% of the drivers and 43.7% of the front passengers fastened seat belt. Women used safety belt more than men while driving but not as front seat passengers. Rate of seat belt use among both drivers and front passengers of van and pick-up was lower than other vehicles. In interview with citizens, 62.4% stated that “always” wear seat belt while driving. The most frequently reported reasons for using seat belts were: avoiding of fine, fearing of injuries and respecting the law. The common reasons for not using were: lack of awareness about law and not used to fasten seat belt. The findings of this study suggest that there are areas for concerns in improving the use of seat belt. Most notably the law enforcement and public education might help to achieve this.