Mobile phone use while driving: a major public health problem in an Arabian society, State of Qatar—mobile phone use and the risk of motor vehicle crashes

Bener, Abdulbari; Crundall, David; Özkan, Türker; Lajunen, Timo

doi:10.1007/s10389-009-0286-1

Cited by 23 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…This is consistent with the observational study conducted at two universities in Qatar where the prevalence of seat belt use among students driving SUVs was 34.1 %, compared to 53.4 % of students driving non-SUV vehicles [ 14 ]. Similar trends were also noted in another Qatari study using self-reports, where 67 % of small car drivers reported mobile phone use while driving, compared to 83 % of SUV drivers [ 24 ]. Similarly, SUV drivers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were found to be less likely to use the seat belt and more likely to commit traffic violations than non-SUV drivers [ 28 ], and similar trends were also observed in the United Kingdom [ 29 ].…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 82%

“…In the current study, approximately 8 % of drivers were observed using handheld mobile phone devices while driving. This point prevalence is lower than self-reported prevalences of drivers in Qatar; in one study, 73 % of drivers involved in a MVC in Qatar reported that they sometimes use a mobile phone while driving [ 24 ], whereas in another, 42 % reported using a mobile phone for calls while driving and 20 % admitted to texting while driving [ 12 ]. Studies in other high-income locations, which applied a similar methodology to this study reported lower rates of mobile phone use while driving than in Doha.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Seat belt and mobile phone use among vehicle drivers in the city of Doha, Qatar: an observational study

et al. 2015

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BackgroundIn Qatar traffic injuries and fatalities are of serious concern. Mobile phone use whilst driving has been associated with increased risk of vehicular collisions and injuries. Seat belt use has been demonstrated to save lives and reduce the severity of road traffic injuries. Whereas previously published studies may have looked at all front passengers, this study aims to obtain reliable estimates of the prevalence of seat belt and mobile phone use among vehicle drivers in the city of Doha, Qatar. Additionally, we aim to investigate the association of these behaviors with other variables namely gender, time of the day and type of vehicle.MethodsAn observational study on 2,011 vehicles was conducted in 2013. Data were collected at ten sites within Doha city over a two-week period. Two trained observers surveyed each car and recorded observations on a data collection form adapted from a form used in a 2012 Oklahoma observational study. Associations were assessed using the Chi-squared test or Fisher’s exact test. A p-value of .05 or less was considered statistically significant.ResultsOverall, 1,463 (72.7 %) drivers were found using a seat belt (95 % CI: 70.8–74.7 %) and 150 (7.5 %) their mobile phones (95 % CI: 6.3–8.6 %) during the observation period. Mobile phone use was significantly associated with not using a seat belt and driving a sport utility vehicle. Significantly lower rates of seat belt use were observed in the early morning and late afternoon. No gender differences were observed.DiscussionSeatbelt use in Doha was found to be similar to countries in the region but lower than those in western countries. Also, studies from other high-income locations, reported lower rates of mobile phone use while driving than in Doha.ConclusionsDespite road traffic crashes being one of the leading causes of death in Qatar, three out of 10 drivers in Doha, Qatar, do not use a seat belt and about one in 12 use a mobile phone while driving. More efforts, in the form of awareness campaigns and increased law enforcement, are needed to improve compliance with laws requiring seat belt use and prohibiting mobile phone use while driving.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 82%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seat belt and mobile phone use among vehicle drivers in the city of Doha, Qatar: an observational study

et al. 2015

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“…There was a sudden growth in population in rich developing countries including many different nationalities and ethnic and/or immigrant groups which also leads to an increase in vehicle demand. Studies conducted in Qatar ( Bener, Crundall, Haigney, Bensiali, & Al-Falasi, 2007 ; Bener & Crundall, 2008 ; Bener, Ozkan, & Lajunen, 2008 ; Bener, Crundall, Özkan, & Lajunen, 2010 ) showed an increasing trend in road traffic accidents and different types of driver behaviour causing accidents among Qatari drivers. The findings of the previous studies ( Bener et al, 2007 ; Bener & Crundall, 2008 ) have also shown that self-reported driving behaviours are associated with both active and passive traffic accidents among other drivers in different countries.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Cross “Ethnical” Comparison of the Driver Behaviour Questionnaire (DBQ) in an Economically Fast Developing Country

Bener¹,

Verjee²,

Dafeeah³

et al. 2013

GJHS

Self Cite

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Aim:The aim of this study was to compare the driving behaviours of four ethnic groups and to investigate the relationship between violations, errors and lapses of DBQ and accident involvement in Qatar.Subjects and Methods:The Driver Behaviour Questionnaire (DBQ) was used to measure the aberrant driving behaviours leading to accidents. Of 2400 drivers approached, 1824 drivers agreed to participate (76%) and completed the driver behaviour questionnaire and background information.Results:The study revealed that the majority of the Qatari (35.9%) and Jordanian drivers (37.5%) were below 30 years of age, whereas Filipino (42.3%) and Indian subcontinent (34.1%) drivers were in the age group of 30-39 years. Qatari drivers (52%) were involved in most accidents, followed by Jordanians (48.3%). The most common type of collision was a head on collision, which was similar in all four ethnic groups. The Qatari drivers scored higher on almost all items of violations, errors and lapses compared to other ethnic groups, while Filipino drivers were lower on all the items. The most common violation was the same in all four ethnic groups “Disregard the speed limits on a motorway”. The most common error item observed was “Queing to turn right/left on to a main road”. “Forget where you left your car” and “Hit something when reversing” were the two lapses identified in factor analysis.Conclusion:The present study identified that Qatari drivers scored higher on most of the items of violations, errors and lapses of DBQ compared to other countries, whereas Filipino drivers scored lower in DBQ items.

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“…Some drivers in affluent developing societies have dangerous behaviours and are not fully aware of the impact of these on safety [14,21,22]. For example, there is evidence that the national rate of seatbelt wearing is very low (only 22.0%) [9] and there is widespread use of mobile phones while driving [21,22]. Educational programmes to raise the young's awareness about the impact of RTA injuries and fatalities on their vulnerable age, and their consequences on themselves, their families and the country should be introduced.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fatalities from road traffic accidents among the young in Bahrain

Hamadeh

Ali²

2013

East Mediterr Health J

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In Bahrain and other Gulf countries, road traffic accidents (RTA) are recognized as a growing public health problem. This study described the trend of fatalities from RTA in Bahrain among those aged < 25 years from 2003-2010. The proportional mortality ratios of RTA deaths (up to 30 days from the accident) among the young were compared with those of all ages. The average proportion of young males killed by RTA in Bahrain during the 8-year period was 82.7%, with 2006 marking the lowest proportion among Bahraini nationals (72.2%) and the total population (79.2%). RTA fatalities constituted 51.3% among the Bahrainis, 20.2% of non-Bahrainis and 39.0% of all fatalities in both sexes combined. The young in Bahrain were 3.5 times more likely to die from RTA than the general population. This paper calls on policy-makers to consolidate efforts to control this public health problem.

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Mobile phone use while driving: a major public health problem in an Arabian society, State of Qatar—mobile phone use and the risk of motor vehicle crashes

Cited by 23 publications

References 33 publications

Seat belt and mobile phone use among vehicle drivers in the city of Doha, Qatar: an observational study

Seat belt and mobile phone use among vehicle drivers in the city of Doha, Qatar: an observational study

A Cross “Ethnical” Comparison of the Driver Behaviour Questionnaire (DBQ) in an Economically Fast Developing Country

Fatalities from road traffic accidents among the young in Bahrain

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