الفهرس 
INTRODUCTIONOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Road traffic crashes have been one of the leading causes of death globally. The number of deaths from road crashes reached 1.19 million deaths in year 2021. Road traffic deaths are extremely high among low- and middle-income countries in comparison with their populations and number of registered motored vehicles, where 92% of all traffic fatalities occur in these countries. In line with the global trend, there has been a concerning surge in the rate of vehicle crashes in Egypt, reaching an alarming average of 27.4 crashes per day in 2019. The Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) reported that a significant threat to traffic safety in Egypt is human error, which contributed to a staggering 79.7% of all traffic crashes in the same year. It is therefore imperative to gain a profound understanding of the driving behaviors and road safety culture in Egypt in order to mitigate a substantial portion of these crashes and ultimately improve the overall level of road safety throughout the country.
The present research aimed to examine the variation in driving behaviors among drivers of different types of vehicles in Greater Cairo as a case study. Three categories of drivers have been investigated: private car drivers, microbus drivers, and motorcyclists. A customized version of the well-known Manchester Driver Behavior Questionnaire (DBQ) was developed for the data collection process. The questionnaire consisted of 2 sections: Section I. General Information consisted of 10 questions inquiring about drivers’ socio-demographic characteristics, driving experience, crash involvement, and violations history; and Section II. Driving Behaviors consisted of 28 questions inquiring about how often a driver commits a certain behavior on a 5-point Likert scale. Section II also included new items under the “Positive Behaviors” category to test whether it is a prominent underlying factor of driving behavior, while the original DBQ consisted of questions on aberrant driving behaviors only. The questionnaire was then distributed among the three categories of drivers and a sample of 515 drivers was reached (417 private car drivers, 40 microbus drivers, and 58 motorcyclists).
Firstly, factor analysis was employed on Section II items of the questionnaire to explore the underlying dimensions within the set of collected behavioral data. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was applied and three robust factors were identified: Errors, Positive Behaviors, and Violations. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was then used to confirm the three driving behavioral factors that were inferred during the exploratory data analysis stage and prove that the derived model fits the data well.
Secondly, multiple regression analyses were carried out to establish which of the Section I items of the questionnaire are the best predictors of each of the three deduced factors. Age was found to be a significant predictor of the three factors: as age increases, both errors and violations decrease, whereas positive behaviors increase. However, gender had no influence on any of the three factors. Individuals who reported relatively high number of traffic violations exhibit a greater tendency to commit errors and display less positive behaviors. Additionally, those who drive frequently tend to make fewer errors and adopt a more positive driving attitude. Furthermore, the research revealed that drivers with extensive driving experience, higher education level, and higher income exhibit a higher likelihood of committing violations. Finally, a past record of involvement in crashes did predict traffic violations.
Lastly, one-way ANOVA tests were conducted to determine the significant differences among the three categories of drivers. It was found that private car drivers reported more positive behaviors on the road than microbus drivers. Furthermore, in terms of traffic violations, the results were as follows: private car drivers are more prone to texting while driving and unknowingly exceeding the speed limit; microbus drivers are more inclined to running a red light, deliberately exceeding the speed limit, and driving without a valid license; and motorcyclists are more likely to deliberately drive the wrong way and engage in aggressive driving.
In conclusion, this research has verified the validity of utilizing the customized DBQ in examining the behaviors of drivers in Greater Cairo. The research has investigated the behaviors of drivers across various socio-demographic characteristics, driving experience, crash involvement, and violations history. Furthermore, it has determined the variations in driving behaviors among the three categories of drivers. The findings of this research can play a crucial role in enhancing the road safety system in Egypt by focusing on the three pillars of safety: engineering, education, and enforcement activities. Moreover, they can contribute to the development of targeted interventions aimed at reducing the number of road crashes and casualties caused by unsafe driving practices, particularly among high-risk drivers. It is of utmost importance to implement a comprehensive public awareness campaign that effectively promotes behavior change among the targeted road users. This campaign should involve the collaboration of governmental and non-governmental institutions and organizations, as well as extensive involvement of mass media platforms.