1. Motorcycle helmet attitudes, behaviours and beliefs among Cambodians
- Author
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Abdulgafoor M. Bachani, Claire Blanchard, Michael F. Ballesteros, Douglas R. Roehler, Pagna Kim, David A. Sleet, Stefano Campostrini, Mirjam Sidik, Socheata Sann, Adnan A. Hyder, and Michael J. Florian
- Subjects
Adult ,Male ,Engineering ,Adolescent ,Poison control ,Crash ,Suicide prevention ,Article ,Traffic psychology ,Occupational safety and health ,Interviews as Topic ,Transport engineering ,Young Adult ,Sex Factors ,Environmental health ,Injury prevention ,Humans ,business.industry ,Accidents, Traffic ,Age Factors ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Human factors and ergonomics ,Middle Aged ,Attitude ,Motorcycles ,Motorcycle helmets ,Female ,Head Protective Devices ,Safety ,Cambodia ,business ,Safety Research - Abstract
Motorcycle fatalities are increasing at an alarming rate in many South-East Asian countries, including Cambodia. Through brief face-to-face roadside interviews in Phnom Penh and four other Cambodian provinces, this article assesses Cambodian motorcyclists' attitudes, behaviours and beliefs related to motorcycle helmets. Out of 1016 motorcyclists interviewed, 50% were drivers, 40% were older passengers and 10% were child passengers. More drivers (50%) reported consistently wearing helmets, compared with older passengers (14%). Saving their life in the event of a crash was the impetus for drivers and older passengers to wear a helmet (96% and 98%, respectively). The top barriers to helmet use were: (1) 'depends on where I drive,' (2) 'I forget' and (3) 'inconvenient' or 'uncomfortable'. These descriptive findings were instrumental in shaping the Cambodian Helmet Vaccine Initiative passenger campaign to reduce the motorcycle-related injuries and fatalities to support the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety.
- Published
- 2013
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