Abstract

CARRO-PEREZ, Ennio Héctor  and  AMPUDIA-RUEDA, Amada. Risk behavior when driving a car in the urban areas of southern Tamaulipas and Mexico City. CienciaUAT [online]. 2019, vol.13, n.2, pp.100-112. ISSN 2007-7858.  https://doi.org/10.29059/cienciauat.v13i2.988.

Traffic accidents are currently one of the main causes of death and disability in human populations, with the problem being exacerbated in low and middle income countries. The objective of the present study was to determine the type of risk behaviors and their frequency in the drivers of automobiles of Mexico City and the metropolitan area of the south of Tamaulipas, considering that the infrastructure of each city and especially the regulatory framework of them can produce differences in these behaviors. A sample of 792 motorists was observed, through a behavioral record where the use of a cell phone was indicated in the driving, wearing of seatbelt, driving with both hands at the steering wheel, and the driving time for the calculation of the speed. The most relevant risk behaviors were driving with only one hand at the wheel, significant between both cities and sexes (P < 0.05) and driving speed, which on average was greater than 50 km/h, which exceeds the established limits for both areas. All the risk behaviors were present in the sample, and only some of them were determinant factors, of which driving speed and driving with both hands at the wheel stand out. The recording of the type of risk behaviors and the frequency of these when driving can be useful for the design of preventive programs in automobile drivers in Mexican contexts.

Keywords : risk behavior; car driving; traffic accidents; urban area.

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