Restraint use in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

ABSTRACT

Objectives: This study set out to examine seat belt and child restraint use in the Dammam Municipality of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, based on the premise that an increase in seat belt use would significantly reduce personal injury in traffic crashes. It was expected that local data would help identify intervention strategies necessary to improve seat belt use in the region.

Methods: The research involved 2 methodologies. First, 1,389 face-to-face interviews were conducted with male and female adults in regional shopping plazas regarding their own and their children's restraint use in their vehicles and reasons for these attitudes and beliefs. Second, 2 on-road observation studies of adult and child restraint use were conducted by trained observers. Occupants of approximately 5,000 passenger vehicles were observed while stopped at representative signalized traffic intersections.

Results: The findings showed front seat belt use rates of between 43 and 47% for drivers and 26 to 30% for front seat passengers; rear seat belt use rates were lower. While there seemed to be some knowledge about the purpose and reasons for restraining both adults and children in suitable restraints, this failed to be confirmed in the on-road observations.

Conclusions: Reasons for these rates and findings are discussed fully, and recommendations for improving seat belt use in the Dammam Municipality are included.

KEYWORDS:

• safety belt
• child restraints
• evaluations
• injury outcome
• protection

Acknowledgments

This study could not have been undertaken without the help and cooperation of a number of organizations and people. The authors are grateful for the support of members of the Saudi Aramco Chair of Traffic Safety, namely, Dr. Mohammed Amr, Omar Jabari, Professor Amein Al-Ali, and Professor Mohamed Abdel-Aty. We also thank the Saudi Police for their generous acceptance and support for our survey and on-road research, the shopping plazas in and around Dammam who provided us access to their customers, and all those who agreed to be interviewed, both off-road and on-road. We thank the reviewers of this article for their assistance with its preparation.

Funding

The authors thank Saudi Aramco Oil Co., who helped sponsor the Chair of Traffic Safety and this project.