Seat belt usage and distracted driving behaviors in Saudi Arabia: Health-care providers versus nonhealth-care providers

Introduction: Motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) and noncompliance to seat belt have been a continuing safety issue in Saudi Arabia for decades. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of seat belt use and distracted driving behaviors among health-care providers in Saudi Arabia and its comparison with nonhealth-care providers. Methods: This is a cross-sectional survey. Data were collected through an online questionnaire distributed among Saudi health-care providers in Saudi Arabia through E-mails and social media using a snowball sampling approach. The data were statistically analyzed. Results: Of 695 respondents, 356 (51.2%) were health-care providers and 339 (48.8%) were nonhealth-care providers. Seat belt wearing rates were 43% among health-care providers and 13.3% among nonhealth-care providers. Most common distracting driving behavior was cell phone usage while driving in both groups (98.6% vs. 86.5%). Conclusion: The present study revealed a statistically significant difference in compliance to seat belt usage by health-care providers compared to nonhealth-care providers. We believe that this is due to a better exposure and knowledge about the consequences of the MVA cases, as well as a high awareness about traffic rules. No statistically significant difference was observed in regard to distracted driving behavior between both groups. We would like to strongly recommend the need of various levels of awareness campaigns regarding the importance of wearing seat belt and avoiding distractive driving behavior in Saudi Arabia.