Investigating the role of health belief model on seat belt use for front seat passengers on urban and rural roads.

What makes a vehicle user buckle up? Considering the strong effect of seat belt use in reducing injuries and fatalities in a vehicle crash, we investigated the role of the health belief model on seat belt use among front-seat passengers on urban and rural roads. A questionnaire based on the theory components was randomly distributed in public areas of Sari, Iran. Structural equation model was used to test the study hypotheses. The results revealed that anticipated severity and perceived susceptibility directly affected seat belt use on urban roads, whereas perceived barriers had a reverse effect on seat belt use on urban roads. Perceived barriers with an indirect and perceived susceptibility with a direct effect, played an essential role in explaining seat belts use on rural roads. Outcomes of this study extend the knowledge of seat belts use behavior among front seat passengers by introducing new factors of potential influence, which could lead to practical solutions aimed to enhance seat belts utilization among these vehicle users and decrease the rate of injuries and fatalities in road crashes.

The role of perceived risk, reasons for non-seat belt use and demographic characteristics for seat belt use on urban and rural roads.

Despite the well-documented benefits of seat belt use, a large number of drivers fail to fasten their seat belts in Iran. Efforts to improve seat belt use can be enhanced by identifying factors that motivate seat belt use. The main aims of this study were to assess the relationship between perceived risk of being ticketed and seat belt use among adult drivers on urban and rural roads and to identify reasons for not wearing a seat belt while exploring the relationship between these reasons and demographic information of adult drivers. An additional aim was to explain seat belt use on these two types of roads based on the perceived risk of being ticketed, demographic characteristics of drivers and the reasons for not wearing a seat belt. A total of 546 questionnaires were distributed including demographic information, items measuring the perceived risk of being ticketed and inquiry about the reasons for refusing to wear a seat belt. The results from valid questionnaires (n = 397) revealed that the perceived risk of being ticketed was not a predictor of seat belt use on urban and rural roads while controlling for age, gender, the influence of being ticketed and discomfort were predictors of seat belt use on urban roads. Meanwhile, older drivers, being ticketed in the past 3 years, having vehicle crashes in the past 3 years and discomfort were sole predictors of seat belt use on rural roads. Also, the findings suggested that there were differences between groups of respondents based on their demographic characteristics in the perceived risk of being ticketed and reported reasons for not wearing seat belts. The findings of this article extended the outcomes of previous studies in factors affecting seat belt use separately for drivers on urban and rural roads, which can help policy-makers promote seat belt use rates.