An Epidemiological Survey on Factors Related to Traffic Accidents in Yazd City, Center of Iran (2016-2018)

Abstract

Background: Traffic accident injuries are a major public health problem. They include sufferings in terms of physical, emotional, and financial losses of the individual, family, and country. This study aimed to investigate the traffic accidents leading to injuries or deaths and its related factors in Yazd city, the center of Iran during 2016-2018. Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive study that examined the causes of all traffic accidents registered in traffic police accidents in Yazd city (during 2016-2018). The data were collected using recorded checklists (accident information is recorded by traffic experts attending at the scene). Independent sample t-test, chi-square, and logistic regression were used to analyze the data. Result: The total number of people involved in these accidents were 1482, including 25 (1.2%) cyclists, 624 (30%) motorcyclists, 183 (8.8%) pedestrians, 321 (15.4%) passengers, and 929 (44.6%) vehicle drivers. Further, 1) Types of involved vehicles (light vehicles-58%), 2) occurrence time (4-8 p.m.-28.9%), 3) age of drivers (16 to 30 years old-41.1%), 4) educational status (diploma and high school-60.1%), and 5) gender (males-82.2%) were reported as contributing factors of accidents. Conclusion: Understanding the risk factors affecting the severity of accidents is required for the development of safety countermeasures. Control of unauthorized speed, and the serious warning for the use of helmets and seat belts could reduce the risk of injuries. Therefore, preventive measures and targeted interventions should be considered to reduce the risk of being involved in crashes.