Driving in the fasting month of Ramadan: An observational study on speeding, horn honking, and using seat belts

Yildirim-Yenier Z., LAJUNEN T. J., ÖZKAN T.

TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH PART F-TRAFFIC PSYCHOLOGY AND BEHAVIOUR, cilt.42, ss.562-568, 2016 (SSCI) identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 42
  • Basım Tarihi: 2016
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1016/j.trf.2015.05.001
  • Dergi Adı: TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH PART F-TRAFFIC PSYCHOLOGY AND BEHAVIOUR
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.562-568
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Speeding, Horn honking, Seat belt use, Ramadan, Time of the day, TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS, ROAD, COUNTRIES, BEHAVIOR, VEHICLE, DRIVER
  • Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

The aim of this study was to examine how Ramadan, i.e., fasting month for believers of Islam, was associated to observable driving behaviours (i.e., speeding, horn honking, and using seat belts) as compared to non-Ramadan. Observations on speeding, horn honking, and using seat belts were held during and after Ramadan in different times of the day in the same region of the city of Ankara. Speeds of 1885 vehicles were measured by hand held radar on a two-way eight-lane road with a 50 km/h speed limit. Horn honking was recorded at a signalised intersection with a hidden camera when the light turned into green in terms of 510 traffic light cycles. Seat belt wearing of 2106 drivers was observed at the same intersection. Findings indicated that (a) mean speed was lower, (b) honked horns were higher, and (c) seat belt use was lower in Ramadan as compared to non Ramadan, though each negative driving behaviour was prevalent in both periods. Thus this study showed that the Ramadan period had a limited role on speeding, horn honking, and using seat belts. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.