Taxi drivers’ experiences within the perspective of traffic safety

Taxis are popular in many developing countries and are directly and indirectly responsible for a large proportion of road traffic accidents. The present study aimed to provide a new insight into the underlying causes of crashes related to taxi drivers, and also proposed new interventions to improve the safety of taxi drivers. The design of the study was qualitative. Participants were purposefully selected among taxi drivers. Data were collected using ۱۱ semi-structured interviews and one focus group discussion (n=۶) with totally ۱۷ participants attending. Data were analyzed by means of thematic analysis. Three main themes have emerged including Traffic management, Non-compliance with traffic rules, and Traffic violence. The study proposes that political will is needed to solve the growing road traffic problems in the society. For doing so, policymakers should adopt new strategies to tackle such problems. Educational programs and seminars should contain explicit information about anger management. Moreover, increasing official enforcement for traffic violations is recommended.

Keywords:

taxi drivers , traffic safety , traffic management , non-compliance , aggressive driving