Abstract
To investigate beliefs and attitudes of Arabs in Israel regarding causes of road accidents, 12 focus groups were conducted with a total of 104 adult Israeli Arabs. Participants reported major differences between Arab and Jewish towns and villages in terms of individual driving behaviors, social norms of driving, infrastructure, and traffic enforcement. Discrimination was perceived as an indirect cause of traffic accidents, expressed mainly in lower investment in infrastructure and traffic enforcement in Arab villages. Arabs' defiance of state authorities and low socio-economic status were also perceived as a cause of unsafe driving. A grounded theory model based on the socio-ecological model was developed to explain these factors. Prevention of unsafe driving behaviors in Arab villages and towns requires a socio-ecological approach combining various strategies at multiple levels.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 377-387 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour |
| Volume | 13 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Nov 2010 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This research was funded by the Israel Ministry of Transportation and Road Safety and the Israel Ministry of Science, Culture and Sport. A steering committee, including two other researchers and two representatives of the ministry of Transportation and Road Safety, was established. Meetings between the steering committee and the research team were held three times throughout the research implementation phases. During those meetings, a report of the research progress was given to the steering committee.
Keywords
- Discrimination
- Focus groups
- Israeli Arabs
- Law enforcement
- Road accidents
- Social norms
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Civil and Structural Engineering
- Automotive Engineering
- Transportation
- Applied Psychology
