The relationship between compliance with safety precautions and the severity of injuries caused by traffic accidents

Considering the high number of traffic accidents in Iran, it seems necessary to investigate the factors related to the severity of traffic accidents. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between compliance with safety precautions and the severity of injuries caused by traffic accidents in Urmia, Iran.

This was a cross-sectional study. The study was conducted retrospectively on available data of the trauma registration system from 2017 to 2022. The research population included 428 drivers who were admitted to a teaching hospital for trauma caused by the traffic accident in Urmia, Iran. Chi-square and Fisher's statistics were used to investigate the relationship between demographic variables, damaged area, behavioral factors, use of safety equipment (air bag and seat belt) and severity of injury.

From 428 drivers injured in traffic accidents, the most injuries were in the head and neck areas. Non-use of seat belts and absence of airbags were reported in 277 and 340 cases of accidents, respectively. 287 people had a history of alcohol consumption, 284 people had a history substance abuse, and 346 people had a history of drug use. A significant relationship was observed between age, gender, injured area, use of seat belts, having airbags, alcohol and drug consumption with injury severity (P<0.05). While the relationship between substance abuse and injury severity was not significant (P=0.517).

The results showed that age, gender, lack of seat belt use, lack of airbags, drug use, alcohol, and the injured area were the most factors related to the occurrence of higher severity injuries.