Abstract

Background and aims: Taxi drivers are a large group of professional drivers, who spend so much time in driving. Considering traffic collisions as one of the failures of Traffic Safety System in the country, modification of improper driving behaviors of this group can result in a significant decrease in accidents. Methods: This analytical-descriptive study was conducted on 245 taxi drivers in 2013. A questionnaire was used to collect data in two sections: demographic information and reasons for not using the automobile lighting system at night. The content validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by the experts and professors' comments and its reliability was confirmed by Cronbach's coefficient alpha (0.72). Results: It was found that 26.9 of the drivers do not turn on their automobile lighting system over night. Most in main squares of the city (46.2). Forgetfulness in turning car's lights (14.28) and depreciation on car lights (13.06) were the major reasons. Moreover, a significant relationship was observed among variables like working in taxi driving as the main occupation (p= 0.0001), lack of receiving warning from passengers (p= 0.0001), the level of education (p= 0.012) and lack of using automobile lighting system. Conclusion: Considering that forgetfulness was the main reason for not using the lighting system and the fact that most of the drivers had received no warning or fine from police for not using lights at night, it is essential to use appropriate training and exertion of regulations to create correct culture of traffic and improve driver performance. © 2018 Tehran University of Medical Sciences and Health Services. All rights reserved.