Mobile phone use among Indonesian motorcyclists: prevalence and influencing factors

Indonesia is one of many developing countries that relies on motorcycles as a major mode of transportation. Unfortunately, the widespread use of motorcycles in Indonesia coincides with a high number of motorcycle accidents which can often be attributed to unsafe behaviors of the motorcyclist. One unsafe behavior that is common and hypothetically associated with accidents is the use of a mobile phone while motorcycling. The aim of the present study was to observe the prevalence and behavior of mobile phone use among Indonesian motorcyclists and the factors that might have influenced their behavior.

Five hundred Indonesian motorcyclists voluntarily participated in this study by filling out a questionnaire that gathered demographic data, motorcycling behaviors, and a statement related to what factors might influence their likelihood to use a mobile phone while motorcycling. A descriptive statistic and Structural Equation Modeling were applied in analyzing the data.

Results showed that the prevalence of mobile phone use among Indonesian motorcyclists was 75%. The demographic data that significantly influenced mobile phone use during motorcycling were age, education level, marital status, and number of children. Occupation, gender, and prior experiences that included accidents and tickets with fines did not influence the use of mobile phones during motorcycling. The behavioral model showed that the factors that influenced motorcyclist's intentions to avoid mobile phone use during motorcycling were attitude, perceived behavioral control, and cues to action.

This study supports previous findings regarding the high prevalence of mobile phone use among motorcyclists in developing countries. The models implied that further investigation on intervention strategy to minimize mobile phone use during motorcycling is a necessity.