title: Seat belt and mobile phone use among vehicle drivers in the city of Doha, Qatar: an observational study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In Qatar traffic injuries and fatalities are of serious concern. Mobile phone use whilst driving has been associated with increased risk of vehicular collisions and injuries. Seat belt use has been demonstrated to save lives and reduce the severity of road traffic injuries. Whereas previously published studies may have looked at all front passengers, this study aims to obtain reliable estimates of the prevalence of seat belt and mobile phone use among vehicle drivers in the city of Doha, Qatar. Additionally, we aim to investigate the association of these behaviors with other variables namely gender, time of the day and type of vehicle.
  
  
  METHODS
  An observational study on 2,011 vehicles was conducted in 2013. Data were collected at ten sites within Doha city over a two-week period. Two trained observers surveyed each car and recorded observations on a data collection form adapted from a form used in a 2012 Oklahoma observational study. Associations were assessed using the Chi-squared test or Fisher's exact test. A p-value of .05 or less was considered statistically significant.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, 1,463 (72.7 %) drivers were found using a seat belt (95 % CI: 70.8-74.7 %) and 150 (7.5 %) their mobile phones (95 % CI: 6.3-8.6 %) during the observation period. Mobile phone use was significantly associated with not using a seat belt and driving a sport utility vehicle. Significantly lower rates of seat belt use were observed in the early morning and late afternoon. No gender differences were observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Seatbelt use in Doha was found to be similar to countries in the region but lower than those in western countries. Also, studies from other high-income locations, reported lower rates of mobile phone use while driving than in Doha.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite road traffic crashes being one of the leading causes of death in Qatar, three out of 10 drivers in Doha, Qatar, do not use a seat belt and about one in 12 use a mobile phone while driving. More efforts, in the form of awareness campaigns and increased law enforcement, are needed to improve compliance with laws requiring seat belt use and prohibiting mobile phone use while driving.
authors.affiliation: Division of Global and Public Health, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar. Qatar Foundation, Education City, P.O. Box: 24144, Doha, Qatar. zrm2001@qatar-med.cornell.edu.|Department of Healthcare Policy and Research, Weill Cornell Medical College, 402 East 67th Street, Box 74, New York, NY, 10065, USA. zrm2001@qatar-med.cornell.edu.
authors.forename: Ziyad R
authors.initials: ZR
authors.lastname: Mahfoud
authors.affiliation: Division of Global and Public Health, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar. Qatar Foundation, Education City, P.O. Box: 24144, Doha, Qatar. soc2005@qatar-med.cornell.edu.
authors.forename: Sohaila
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cheema
authors.affiliation: Division of Global and Public Health, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar. Qatar Foundation, Education City, P.O. Box: 24144, Doha, Qatar. har2005@qatar-med.cornell.edu.
authors.forename: Hekmat
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Alrouh
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Supreme Council of Health, P.O. Box: 42, Doha, Qatar. malthani@sch.gov.qa.
authors.forename: Mohammed Hamad
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Al-Thani
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Supreme Council of Health, P.O. Box: 42, Doha, Qatar. aalthani@sch.gov.qa.
authors.forename: Al Anoud Mohammed
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Al-Thani
authors.affiliation: Division of Global and Public Health, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar. Qatar Foundation, Education City, P.O. Box: 24144, Doha, Qatar. ram2026@qatar-med.cornell.edu.
authors.forename: Ravinder
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mamtani
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000517:prevention & control*; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D040421:Cell Phone / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D035846:Law Enforcement; D008297:Male; D011780:Qatar / Q000453:epidemiology; D012449:Safety / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012622:Seat Belts / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000517:prevention & control