Abstract
Traffic accidents are among the leading causes of injury-related fatalities among the world. Considering driver-oriented studies, there are limited number of research in the literature about the general causes of traffic accidents involving professional drivers. In the current study, professional drivers' attitudes towards traffic accidents and the causes of accidents were examined. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 bus drivers. The findings were categorized under seven themes: Evaluations of Accidents, Gender Differences, Positive Attitudes towards Colleagues, Violations, Age, Organizational Factors, External Factors. The results of the study indicate that the bus drivers, who are a subgrop of professional drivers, evaluate themselves more positively regarding their driving skills and see the responsible person as the opposite party in traffic accidents. In addition, if the other party involved in the accident was a female driver, even they attribute the responsibility to female drivers, they generally tried to be more tolerant. The results were discussed based on individual, organizational, national and socio-political levels. In order to see that there are many factors that play a role in traffic accidents, it has been a strong study that contributes to the field. In line with these findings, developing trainings for professional drivers about traffic accidents and factors that may cause traffic accidents might make people more conscious.
Keywords
Traffic accidents, professional drivers, bus drivers, violation, attitude