On Road Observational Survey of Seat Belt Use Among Young Drivers in Qatar

Traffic accidents are one of the main cause of death in modern societies. Next to circulatory diseases and cancer, road accidents are probably the third major cause of death in the developed world [1]. Traffic accidents kill 1.2 million people every year and injure or disable as many as 50 million more. They are the second leading cause of death globally among young people aged 5 to 29 years and the third leading cause of death among people aged 30 to 44 years [2]. In 2010, road traffic accidents were the cause of 228 people deaths and 568 major injuries in Qatar. In October 2007, a new traffic law was implemented in the State of Qatar in order to reduce the growing number of accidents and reckless driving in Qatar. The new law forced seat belt usage for all drivers and frontseat passengers. The objective of the paper was to investigate the seat belt use among university students drivers in Qatar after the implementation of the new traffic law using observational survey. Two higher educational facilities in Qatar were selected to conduct the research. Four students pursuing an engineering degree were trained in general traffic data collection methods and procedures and specifically on how to observe the vehicles approaching and how to collect data in sheets prepared in a specific coded way to gather the information needed. The trained observers stationed at four different entrances of the studied universities. The results of this study suggest that a significant percentage of university students do not wear their seat belts and is a clear indication that driving habits in Qatar have not improved since the implementation of the 2007 traffic law.