nvestigating the unsafe behavior of drivers on the Iran-Turkey International Road

Abstract

Introduction: One of the most important public health challenges that impose a lot of social and economic burden on societies, especially developing countries, is traffic accidents. The World Health Organization (WHO) identifies accidents as a public health problem that kills 1.2 million people annually worldwide and injures 50 million worldwide. According to the WHO, accidents are one of the nine leading causes of death worldwide and the second leading cause of death in Iran. The aim of this study was to investigate the unsafe behavior of drivers on the Iran-Turkey international road. Methods: The present study is a descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study that was conducted in 1398 on 940 drivers. Samples from three different groups of drivers were randomly selected. The first group was the drivers of heavy trucks that were passing through Turkey at the Bazargan customs line. The second group of drivers of cars parked in the border market of Mako and the third group of people living in the area who use this road. The selection of individuals was based on the inclusion criteria and through the apple system of Chaipareh and Mako health centers. Data collection tools including Demographic Information Questionnaire and Manchester Drivers Behavior Questionnaire. In order to analyze the data, descriptive statistics (mean, median, number and percentage) and analytical statistics (independent t-test, Chi-square and general model regression) were used with the help of SPSS software version 22. Results: The results showed that a total of 35.9% of drivers (n=337) had completely unsafe driving behaviors. Slips, intentional violations, errors and unintentional violations were reported in 36.7% (n=345), 30.5% (n=287), 40.2% (n=378) and 40.9% (n=385) of the participants, respectively. The results of multivariate regression showed that having a history of participants' accidents, having a history of accidents in family members, having a basic type 1 and 2 certificate were known as predictors of the whole scale of driving behaviors. Conclusion: The results indicate that changes in drivers' driving behaviors are necessary and the need for these changes is planning and policy-making at different levels, so that high-risk groups such as drivers in the age range of 18-30 years can be, Prioritized single drivers, drivers with 1st and 2nd grade licenses and drivers with intercity traffic in educational interventions.