Traffic Safety Attitudes and Driving Behavior of University Students: Case Study in Kuwait

Road safety has become one of the most important traffic issues in Kuwait, along with traffic congestion. On average, one person dies daily in Kuwait because of road accidents; this is in addition to scores of major and minor injuries. A deeply worrying aspect of road accidents in Kuwait is that a vast majority of the dead and seriously injured are young Kuwaiti drivers. The Kuwait government has implemented new and stiffer traffic rules and regulations since November 2001, and the Ministry of the Interior has installed several speed cameras at midblock and intersection locations. Analysis of accident patterns and driving habits in Kuwait reveals that enforcement and engineering alone may not be able to help alleviate the high rate of traffic accidents in Kuwait today. Driver education is probably as important as engineering and enforcement measures. This paper presents the results of a study undertaken to investigate the driving behavior and traffic safety attitudes of young university student drivers. It also examines road traffic accident statistics in Kuwait. Findings of the study indicate that although most students affirm their awareness of traffic rules and claim to be following them usually, a significant number appeared to be oblivious to the disastrous consequences of higher travel speeds. Driver education measures should be effectively used to improve the extremely dangerous traffic safety situation in Kuwait. Education and training before issuing the license and graduated driver licensing policies should also be investigated for implementation in Kuwait.