title: Examining motorcyclists' postcrash impressions: A qualitative study.
abstract: Motorcycle-related crashes and injuries continue to be of great concern in Iran. This study seeks to explore how motorcyclists' perspectives and impressions of a crash are shaped and influence their future riding behaviors.
  
  
  
  This was a qualitative study conducted in 3 major cities in Iran between March 2011 and February 2012. Participants included 31 male motorcyclists, of whom 22 participated in 4 focus groups and 9 in in-depth interviews. Findings were derived through the thematic method of analysis.
  
  
  
  Six delineated themes suggest different factors that influence riders' postcrash impressions. These include (1) opposing reactions from family and peers postcrash; (2) the motorcyclist's perception of his or her ability to handle risky road situations; (3) risk-taking attributes; (4) perceived responsibility in meeting family needs; (5) the severity of the crash-related injury; and (6) elapsed time from the crash experience.
  
  
  
  Riders' postcrash impressions were formed by the opposing reactions of their family and peers to the crash experience (i.e., the index crash); the personality of riders, including being overconfident and a risk taker; familial obligations; feeling traumatized by the crash; and passage of time. These formed their perceptions, feelings, attitudes, and thoughts about the index crash. These findings are an important step in understanding how perception and attitudes of motorcyclists are shaped and how these influence their future riding behavior. The needs for interventional studies to assess the effectiveness of road safety risk reduction programs aligned with the riders' degree of postcrash impressions are discussed.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine , Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science , Los Angeles , California.|b Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Science , David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA , Los Angeles , California.
authors.forename: Shahrzad
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bazargan-Hejazi
authors.affiliation: c Department of Public Health , Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences , Ahvaz , Iran.|d Department of Health Education , Faculty of Health, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences , Isfahan , Iran.
authors.forename: Fereshteh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zamani-Alavijeh
authors.affiliation: c Department of Public Health , Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences , Ahvaz , Iran.
authors.forename: Parvin
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Shahri
authors.affiliation: e Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences , Shahrekord , Iran.
authors.forename: Rezvan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yazdani
authors.affiliation: f Department of Industrial Engineering , Yazd University , Yazd , Iran.
authors.forename: Amir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shafiee
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001290:Attitude; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009049:Motorcycles; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012309:Risk-Taking; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000209:etiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Crash injury; Iran; motorcyclists; postcrash impression; risky riding