Timo Juhani Lajunen

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

AimThe aim of the present study was to assess the rate of mobile phone use among drivers who were involved in road traffic crashes and to determine the factors associated with mobile phone use in Qatar.MethodsStructured interviews were conducted and participants were asked to complete a questionnaire concerning socio-demographics, driving attitudes and behaviour, adherence to traffic laws and mobile phone use. The study was conducted from December 2004 to June 2005 during which 1,139 drivers were asked to participate in the study and 822 drivers expressed their consent and met the inclusion criteria with a response rate of 72%.ResultsThere was a high rate of mobile phone use among individuals associated with crashes (73.2%). Of 602 drivers, 497 (82.6%) used handheld mobile phones without any extra add-on equipment. A stepwise logistic regression analysis showed that the vehicle type (four-wheel drive vs small car), excessive speeding, educational level and running a red light were statistically significant factors associated with mobile phone use among drivers who were involved in road traffic crashes.ConclusionUse of mobile phones while driving in Qatar is very high and poses a high risk for violations and motor vehicle crashes. These conclusions are discussed with reference to current interventions and safety regulations that are being launched.

Aggressive driving among British, Dutch, Finnish and Turkish drivers

The first aim of the present study was to investigate cross-cultural differences in aggressive driving behaviour among British, Dutch, Finnish and Turkish drivers (or ‘between’ countries). The second aim of the present study is to examine how the ratings of aggressive behaviours committed by the driver himself/herself (‘self’ scale) and high ratings of perceiving himself/herself as an object of other drivers’ aggressive acts (‘other’ scale) are evaluated ‘within’ countries. Survey studies of 3673 drivers were carried out in four countries, that is in Finland, Great Britain, the Netherlands and Turkey. Analysis of variance results revealed that Turkish drivers scored higher on aggressive driving behaviours than British and Dutch drivers, who in turn reported more aggressive behaviours than Finnish drivers. In every country (or ‘within’ countries), on the contrary, drivers reported having been a target of aggressive behaviour (‘other’) more often than they had committed aggressive behaviour themselves (‘self’).