Physical and emotional variables such as attentiveness, attributes towards other road-users, impatience and anger are frequently cited as human-related errors in traffic accidents, This research paper examines the impacts of the Iraqi invasion on attitudes, driving behavior and road traffic accidents in Kuwait. A random sample of 1,117 young drivers was conducted. The findings indicated that a significant percentage of young college student drivers suffered from a variety of physical, emotional and psychological abuses by the invading army. They included harassments, attacks, imprisonments, tortures and rapes. These traumatic experiences have also left notable post-invasion adverse impacts on attitudes and driving behavior. For a significant percentage of the sample population, driving behavior and attitudes toward traffic rules and regulations had worsened; driving speed had increased; attentiveness and patience while driving had decreased; and, due to a general feeling of anxiety and nervousness, the amount of daily times spent driving had increased. A significant post-invasion increase in the number of road accidents was also reported by the study population. (Author/publisher).
Abstract