Gender Differences in Pedestrians’ Traffic Behaviors in Iran: A Study from a Candidate Safe Community

Abstract

Background: Although the number of pedestrian traffic accidents is decreasing worldwide, more than one-third of traffic fatalities in Iran are related to pedestrians. High-risk behaviors of pedestrians increase their vulnerability to road traffic injuries. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate gender differences in adopting safe pedestrian behaviors in Tabriz, Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out among pedestrians aged 18 years and over (n = 508) living in the second municipal district of Tabriz, Iran. The stratified random sampling method was used to recruit a representative sample of adults from 23 July to 21 November 2019. A standardized, structured questionnaire was used for evaluating traffic behaviors in five domains (i.e., adhering to traffic rules, pedestrians’ traffic violations, positive pedestrian behaviors, pedestrians’ distraction, and pedestrians’ aggressive behaviors). The data was analyzed by SPSS version 22 using independent t-test, regression, chi-square, and ANOVA tests. Results: Overall, 58.5% of the participants were female. Women had significantly higher scores in three domains of pedestrian traffic behaviors (i.e., no traffic violations, not being distracted, and not having aggressive behavior) than men (P < 0.001). Additionally, married women and women with higher education levels earned significantly higher scores than others in total pedestrian traffic behaviors. There were significant differences between men and women regarding the use of a personal car and walking daily more than an hour (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Our findings suggest gender differences in the five dimensions of pedestrian traffic behaviors in Iran. Gender-specific risk reduction strategies in the Iranian pedestrians’ safety intervention programs may promote safe traffic behaviors of pedestrians.