Youth Perceptions and Attitudes towards Road Safety in Serbia

Abstract

Road traffic crashes are a leading cause of death for young people. Aberrant driver behaviors, such as drink driving, speeding, not wearing seatbelts, non-compliance with traffic rules and aggressive driving, are key contributors to these crashes. Gender and urban/rural differences are also risk factors. In Serbia, where this study was conducted, as well as in most European countries, younger people have the highest road crash and fatality risk. Thus, it is important to understand not only when these behaviors occur, but also the attitudes surrounding them. The latter will provide an avenue for intervention. To address this, a mixed design study was conducted, using a quantitative survey, focus groups and in-depth interviews to understand the attitudes and safety behaviors of young people (aged 16–25) in Serbia. Results across all methods showed that attitudes and perceptions regarding road safety differ across gender and location (urban/rural). Young drivers reported frequent engagement in alcohol-impaired driving, speeding, non-using seatbelts and using mobile phones while driving. Dominant attitudes underlying these behaviors related to lower perceived risk and a lack of perceived enforcements. These results show support for education campaigns in improving the risky behavior of young drivers.