Assessment of seat belt use and its associated factors among public transport drivers in North Gondar, Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Objective Road traffic injuries are the major and neglected public health challenges. It causes 1.2 million deaths and 50 million injuries yearly and the use of seat belt reduces 60% of the cases. However, little is known about the magnitude of utilizing seat belt and associated factors in Ethiopia. Hence, the aim of this study was to assess the seat belt practice and associated factors among minibus and taxi drivers. Results The magnitude of seat belt users is 69.6%. The majority (98.1%) of drivers used seat belt to minimize injuries, 95.8% to prevent casualties, 92.5% to safeguard vehicle occupants, 29.9% to generate revenue for government and 22.8% to beautify the vehicle. Almost 80% of participants reported that wearing seat belt could save lives; and 29.6% of them wear belts because of stiffer penalties. For not using seat belts, more than 18% drivers reasoned out that it is not guarantee for safety and it wastes time to wear. In the multiple logistic regression being taxi driver (AOR = 1.998, 95% CI 1.250, 3.192), being married (AOR = 2.91, 95% CI 1.118, 7.601) and attended vocational school and above (AOR = 2.140, 95% CI 1.014, 4.519) were associated with seat belt use.

Use of seat belts among public transport drivers in Tacna, Peru: Prevalence and risk factors

“…We also found that drivers who reported having completed studies and/or having a higher level/category of driving license used seat belts less, and this is contrary to what was found in Ethiopia, where a higher level of education was positively associated with seat belt use [18]. This association was also reported in the United States [11] and in Bosnia-Herzegovina [7], where higher educational level was a protective factor for increased seat belt use in both urban and rural areas.…”

“…These findings are consistent with those reported in studies conducted in Iran [20] and Peru [17]. In other settings, drivers who did not use their seatbelts cited disbelief in the safety of the device as a reason for not using it; therefore, they consider it a waste of time [18]. In a study in Colombia, drivers reported simulating the use of their seat belts, using it when they see a traffic policeman or when driving through areas where they could be found, stating that it causes them discomfort [15], and this could be related to the state of the seat belt, and this issue could be reduced by using comfort devices.…”

“…reported in an African country [18], 62% in two cities in Mexico [16], 63% in two cities in Colombia (with lower use of vans and cars compared to taxis) [15]. Furthermore, in Ethiopia, taxi drivers had twice as much seat belt use as minibus drivers (p = 0.004) [18]. These discrepancies may be due to the different ways and areas in which seat belt use was assessed, as well as cultural, legal and even population differences, and the possibility of overconfidence.…”

“…reported in an African country [18], 62% in two cities in Mexico [16], 63% in two cities in Colombia (with lower use of vans and cars compared to taxis) [15]. Furthermore, in Ethiopia, taxi drivers had twice as much seat belt use as minibus drivers (p = 0.004) [18].…”

The burden of injuries in Ethiopia from 1990-2017: evidence from the global burden of disease study

“…Injuries in general, and road traffic injuries in particular, are a growing national concern in Ethiopia. In the year 2014/15 alone, there were 15,086 road traffic crashes which caused an estimated economic loss of 7.3 million USD (Woldegebriel et al 2019 ). In the same year, the fatality rate compiled from Addis Ababa-Adama-Hawassa city road data was 156/10,000 vehicles (Abegaz et al 2014 ).…”