Kamal Hassanzadeh - Department of Epidemiology, School of Health, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
Shaker Salarilak - Department of Public Health, Islamic Azad University of Tabriz, Medical school, Tabriz, Iran
Homayoun Sadeghi-Bazargani - Road Traffic Injury Research Center, Department of Statistics & Epidemiology, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
Mina Golestani - Road Traffic Injury Research Center, Department of Statistics & Epidemiology, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran

Background: Motorcyclist’s behavior plays an important role in increasing the mortality rate caused by traffic accidents. Identifying the risky behaviors of motorcycle riders is essential to maintain and improve the health of motorcycle riders and other community members.Aims: The aim of this study was to determine the riding patterns and risky riding behaviors of motorcycle riders in Bukan as a marginal small-sized Kurdish populated district in North-West of Iran and investigating some predictors of it.Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional, 340 motorcycle riders of Bukan were studied. By referring to city health center and preparing the city map, the entire city was divided into 14 clusters based on the areas covered by the health centers. Then, 7 clusters were randomly selected out of these 14 clusters. Motorcycle riding behavior questionnaire (MRBQ) was used to study the risky behaviors of motorcycle riders while riding. Both bivariate and multivariate regression analysis methods were used to study the associations.Findings: All participants were male. Their mean age was 30.2(SD=9.1). The most common risky behaviors possessed by at least 23% of motorcycle riders included 1) inappropriate control of motorcycle when turning, 2) taking another person without helmet by motorcycle, 3) riding without helmet, 4) taking more than one person by motorcycle, 5) exceeding the permissible speed outer city, 6) exceeding the permissible speed inside the city and 7) carrying heavy load by motorcycle. Mean normalized MRBQ score was 30.5(SD=11.2). Based on multivariate analysis, age, lacking a riding license, riding experience and average amount of riding were the independent predictors of risky riding score.Conclusion: Although many types of risky behaviors extracted in this study have also been mentioned in some previous studies, the difference in the frequency distribution of these behaviors or their combination were different in this marginal Kurdish residential area. This may be due to various factors to be investigated in future such as psychological, social and demographic factors which affect motorcycle riders risky behaviors.

motorcycle riders, risky behavior, speed, Iran