title: Self-reported risk behaviors among offender motorcyclists in Ahvaz City.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Road traffic accidents are among the most critical public health issues. Many people die on the roads each day and tens of millions sustain nonfatal injuries. The aim of this study is to describe the high-risk behaviors of motorcyclists in which police had to confiscate their motorcycles.
  
  
  METHODS
  This cross-sectional study was carried out on 240 motorcyclists in Iran from December 2010 to February 2011. A researcher-created questionnaire was used to collect data on self-reported high-risk behaviors, including passing the crossroads without considering the traffic light, refusing to wear a helmet, performing stunts in the street, and driving in the opposite direction. The collected data was descriptively analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age of motorcyclists was 29.3 years (SD=8.26). Twenty-six percent (n=62) of the participants did not have a motorcycle driver's license. The analysis of risk behaviors showed that 60.8% (n=146) of the motorcycle drivers usually passed crossroads without considering the traffic light and 20.8% (n=50) performed stunts in the street.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study indicates that the prevalence of high-risk behaviors among motorcyclists is significant. Health education interventions may inhibit these behaviors, thus reducing the risk of injuries.
authors.affiliation: Ph.D. of Health Education, Assistant Professor, Department of Health Education and promotion, School of Health, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Fereshteh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zamani-Alavijeh
authors.affiliation: M.Sc. Student of Health Education, Faculty of Health, Department of Public Health, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.
authors.forename: Nasim
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Narimani
authors.affiliation: Ph.D., Professor, Mental Health Research Group, Health Metrics Research Centre, Iranian Institute for Health Sciences Research, ACECR, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Montazeri
authors.affiliation: Ph.D. of Psychiatric, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatric, Faculty of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.
authors.forename: Ahmad
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fakhri
authors.affiliation: Ph.D. of Health Education, Assistant Professor, Department of Health Education, School of Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Morteza
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mansourian
authors.affiliation: Ph.D. Student, Department of Industrial Engineering, Yazd University, Yazd, Iran.
authors.forename: Amir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shafiee
authors.affiliation: Ph.D. of Health Education and Promotion, Department of Public Health, Students' Research Committee, Faculty of Health, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Akbar Babaei
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Heydarabadi
keywords: high-risk behavior; offender motorcyclist; traffic accident