Journal Article

Assessing public trust in road traffic injuries prevention policies in Iran: a cross-sectional study

Ezzati, Esmail, Sardareh, Mehran, Azami-Aghdash, Saber, Saadati, Mohammad, Khoei, Reza Ali Akbari, Naghibi, Deniz

2024

Overview

Introduction and objective Road Traffic Injuries (RTIs) represent the predominant cause of morbidity and mortality globally. Thus, impactful interventions and trustworthy authorities are imperative to mitigate traffic accidents. The present study seeks to assess public trust in traffic accident diminution policies and measures within the country of Iran. Method This cross-sectional study utilized a questionnaire comprising 31 questions distributed across eight dimensions. The questionnaire’s design was informed by a literature review and semi-structured interviews with experts specializing in traffic accidents. The target population consisted of Tabriz city residents, who were selected via convenience sampling. The collected data were then analyzed using SPSS-16 software, employing the T-test, One-way ANOVA, and Pearson correlation coefficient to present the study’s results. structural equation modeling (SEM) was conducted using R 4-4-2 programming language. Results A total of 681 participants completed the questionnaire, yielding a commendable response rate of 88.6%. The majority of participants were male (60.8%), and 86.2% identified as drivers, with 61.8% having experienced driving accidents. The overall score for public trust in RTIs policies was calculated to be 46.9%. The individual scores for specific domains of trust in traffic safety were as follows: safer roads (43.1%), safe vehicle (43.3%), safety laws (48.8%), safe user (51.1%), safe technology (51.5%), road safety management (46.8%). All the latent variables except education are significantly effective on public trust. Conclusion The study findings indicate relatively low levels of public trust in RTIs policies among the Iranian population. These results emphasize the need for targeted interventions to enhance public confidence in specific aspects of traffic safety. Policymakers can use these insights to implement effective measures, thus contributing to the RTIs and the promotion of road safety in the country.

• Publisher: BioMed Central,BioMed Central Ltd,Springer Nature B.V,BMC
• Subject: Accident prevention / Accidents / Accidents, Traffic - prevention & control / Adolescent / Adult / Assessment / Biostatistics / Correlation coefficient / Correlation coefficients / Cross-Sectional Studies / Data analysis / Driving ability / Environmental Health / Epidemiology / Fatalities / Female / Forensic medicine / Health Policy / Health services / Humans / Injuries / Injury prevention / Intervention / Interviews / Iran / Laws, regulations and rules / Likert scale / Literature reviews / Male / Medical research / Medicine / Medicine & Public Health / Middle Aged / Morbidity / Policy / Policy making / Population policy / Population studies / Prevention / Programming languages / Public concern / Public Health / Public Opinion / Public trust / Questionnaires / Research design / Road accidents / Road safety / Road traffic / Road traffic injuries / Roads & highways / Safety / Safety management / Sampling / Structural equation modeling / Surveys and Questionnaires / Traffic / Traffic accidents / Traffic accidents & safety / Traffic safety / Trust / Trustworthiness / Urban planning / Vaccine / Validity / Variance analysis / Wounds and injuries / Wounds and Injuries - epidemiology / Wounds and Injuries - prevention & control / Young Adult