Effect of Drivers' Traffic Behavior on the Occurrence of Accidents in Azarshahr in 2019

Traffic accidents and casualties are one of the current challenges of human societies endangering human health and imposing a heavy economic burden on communities. It is of utmost importance to identify the psychological causes and factors affecting the occurrence or severity of traffic accidents. Therefore, the current study aimed to assess the effects of traffic behavior on the occurrence of accidents in Azarshahr, Iran, in 2019.

The present descriptive cross-sectional study was performed on 260 drivers in Azarshahr who were selected via simple randomization. The instrument used for data collection was the standard Driver Behaviour Questionnaire (DBQ). Data were analyzed in  SPSS software (version 18) using descriptive statistics and Pearsonchr('39')s correlation coefficient.  

The mean age of participants was 35.32± 9.59 years, driving history was 10.94±7.98 years, and daily driving time was 3.19±2.69 hours. The results of the present study suggested that slips had the largest share in the occurrence of accidents. The mean scores of slips, intentional violations, errors, and unintentional violations were obtained at 1.42, 1.18, 1.03, and 1.07, respectively. The number of accidents demonstrated a significant relationship with gender, age, education, type of vehicle, driving time, and place of residence (P<0.05).

As evidenced by the obtained results, some factors, such as gender, age, education, and driving time, play a significant role in the occurrence of accidents in Azarshahr. Therefore, it is necessary to hold workshops to modify driverschr('39') behaviors and attitudes.