Knowledge and attitude of safety belt use among professional drivers in a tertiary Nigerian institution

Safety belt (SB) use prevents and reduces the severity of injuries during motor vehicle crashes, and its use is influenced by the perceived risk inherent in any journey. Over the years, most studies have focused on the effectiveness of the belt among commercial drivers. This study assessed drivers' knowledge, attitude and use of SB in a tertiary institution in Nigeria. The study, which was a cross-sectional survey, was designed to document professional drivers' knowledge and use of SB and their attitude towards use. Data were collected using a survey questionnaire from 202 out of 228 drivers employed by the University of Ibadan aged 35-60 years who were at work and consented during the period of data collection. The respondents' mean knowledge score on SB was 8.9 SD ± 1.4 out of 11 points. Eighty-six percent agreed that SB should be fastened when driving. Many of the respondents had a positive attitude to the use of seatbelts, 95.5% disagreed with the idea that a seatbelt causes accidents, while 80.2% also disagreed with the belief that a seatbelt was for educated drivers. There was a statistical significant association between respondents' attitude to SB use and age, year of experience, education (p < 0.05).