The Relationship between the Frequency and Severity of Traffic Accidents and Aggression, Smoking, and Substance Abuse

According to WHO reports, human factors are major contributing causes in 60% of car accidents and 95% of all other accidents. The mortality rate of car accidents in Iran is over 15 times more than developed countries. Several indices contribute to the occurrence of dangerous driving behaviors. We aimed to assess the relationship between the frequency and severity of traffic accidents and aggression, smoking, and substance abuse.
This was an analytical cross-sectional survey. Data were collected in Isfahan city, Iran, during the year 2015 through distribution of two questionnaires, Buss and Perry aggression questionnaire (AGQ), and a demographic researcher-made one. The data were analyzed using chi-square, post-hoc Tukey, Wilcoxon, Kruskal-Wallis, ANOVA, and Mann-Whitney tests via SPSS software.
Findings: From 450 drivers, 26% had AGQ score of more than 78, and in 74% the score was less than 78. Smoking and substance abuse frequencies were 40% and 16.2%, respectively. 28.8% of accidents were led to injury, 12.4% to death, and 58.8% to financial damages. Smoking and substance abuse had relationship with the number and severity of traffic accidents (P = 0.001 for both). In addition, aggression had relationship with the number (P = 0.017) and severity (P = 0.006) of traffic accidents, too.
This study shows significant correlation between the frequency and the severity of traffic accidents and aggression and substance abuse. The findings lay more emphasis on the significance of evaluating aggression and substance abuse in drivers by the responsible agencies.