Distraction and related risk factors among professional and non-professional drivers

Distraction is one of the main driver's behavioral factors that reduces the performance of the drivers and might increase the accident risk. Distraction while driving holds significant importance, especially among professional drivers, and failure to address this matter may result in adverse implications for traffic safety. The present study was conducted to investigate distraction and related risk factors between two groups of private vehicle drivers and taxi drivers.

This analytical cross-sectional study was carried out in Tabriz, Iran in 2022. The total sample size in this study was 701 taxi drivers, professional drivers, and private vehicle drivers. The independent samples t-test was used to determine the statistically significant difference between groups and its sub-scales between the two studied groups. Moreover, the multivariable linear regression analysis was used to determine the predictors that affect distraction score. The test's level of significance was considered at 0.05.

The mean distraction score among taxi drivers surpasses that of private vehicle drivers (2.82 vs. 2.32, p-value<0.05). The drivers with negative scores, over the past year, among private vehicle drivers and taxi drivers were 2.5 % and 5.2 %, respectively (p-value<0.05). A group of taxi drivers exhibits a higher level of distraction while driving and the mean distraction score for private vehicle drivers is lower than that of taxi drivers (β = -0.11, CI 95 %: 0.17, -0.05). Also, a history of damage or injury accidents has a significant impact on distraction while driving (β = 0.12, CI 95 %; 0.06-0.17).

The results indicate that distraction while driving is high amongst taxi drivers rather than private vehicle drivers. To have effective driver safety promotion interventions, it is recommended to consider driver distraction based on professional and non-professional drivers.