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    Rights statement: This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Traffic Injury Prevention on 18/02/2016, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15389588.2016.1150591

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Road traffic accidents and self-reported Portuguese car driver's attitudes, behaviours and opinions: are they related?

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<mark>Journal publication date</mark>2016
<mark>Journal</mark>Traffic Injury Prevention
Issue number7
Volume17
Number of pages7
Pages (from-to)705-711
Publication StatusPublished
Early online date18/02/16
<mark>Original language</mark>English

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to characterize Portuguese car drivers in terms of demographic
characteristics, driving experience, and attitudes, opinions and behaviours concerning road traffic
safety. Furthermore, associations between these characteristics and self-reported involvement in
a road traffic accident as a driver in the last three years were analysed. A final goal was to
develop a final predictive model of the risk of suffering a road traffic accident.

Methods: A cross-sectional analytic study was developed, based on a convenience sample of
612 car drivers. A questionnaire was applied by trained interviewers, embracing various topics
related to road safety such as driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, phone use while
driving, speeding, use of advanced driver assistance systems and the transport infrastructure and
environment (European Project SARTRE 4, Portuguese version). From the 52 initial questions,
19 variables were selected through principal component analysis. After that, and in addition to
the usual descriptive measures, logistic binary regression models were used in order to describe
associations and to develop a predictive model of being involved in a road traffic accident.

Results: From the 612 car drivers, 37.3% (228) reported being involved in a road traffic accident
with damage or injury in the past three years. In this group, the majority were male, older than
65, with no children, not employed and living in an urban area. In the multivariate model, several
factors were identified: being widowed (vs. single) (OR = 3.478, CI95%: 1.159‒10.434); living
in a suburban area (vs. a rural area) (OR = 5.023, CI95%: 2.260‒11.166); having been checked
for alcohol once in the last three years (vs. not checked) (OR = 3.124, CI95%: 2.040‒4,783); and
seldom drinking an energetic beverage such as coffee when tired (vs. always do it) (OR = 6.822,
CI95%: 2.619‒17.769) all suffered a higher risk of being involved in a car accident.

Conclusions: The results obtained with regard to behavioural factors meet the majority of the
risk factors associated with car accidents referred to in literature. This study highlights the
relation of relatively minor accidents (the majority with no injuries) with urban (or semi-urban)
context and involving older drivers. These accidents are not usually the focus of road safety
literature (mainly death and serious health loss) but, additionally to the economic costs involved,
they can have a huge impact on road safety (e.g., pedestrian). Specifically the following
interventions can be proposed: more detailed clinical examinations to identify real competencies
to drive especially in older drivers (active aging can constitute a new challenge in road safety and
new paradigms can arise); education campaigns in how to cope with fatigue. Future studies in
large samples and not based on self-reported behaviours should be developed.

Bibliographic note

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Traffic Injury Prevention on 18/02/2016, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15389588.2016.1150591