Road Traffic Accidents in Kuwait: Triangulation Method Study

Triple A Research Journal of Social Science and Humanity (JSSH) | Vol.2 No.3 | October 2018
Triple A Research Journal of Social Science and Humanity (ISSN: 2636-5472)
Vol.2(3): 079 - 088, October 2018
Available online: http://www.triplearesjournal.org/jssh
Copyright ©2018 Triple A Research Journal
Review
Road Traffic Accidents in Kuwait: Triangulation Method
Study
Prof. Dr. Amer Alsaleh
Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Sociology and Social Work, Kuwait University, Kuwait City,
State of Kuwait. Zip Code: 71962
Author:
Prof. Dr. Amer Alsaleh
Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Sociology
and Social Work, Kuwait University, Kuwait City,
State of Kuwait. Zip Code: 71962
Email address:
amer3_@hotmail.com
ABSTRACT
There was an increasing trend from 2010 to 2011 motor traffic
accidents in Kuwait City, passengers and pedestrians are
always at highest risk of being injured or killed on the road.
Quantitative and qualitative results indicated that the technical
element of the highway construction, irresponsibility, poor
management, cell phones, alcohol and drugs, age of the
victims and poor condition of services were the causes of
traffic accidents in Kuwait. The study recommended that the
government should review legislation regarding employment
of drivers, and working conditions of police force should be
improved, public road safety campaigns should be conducted,
and new driving license system should be imposed. The use of
cell phones while driving should be restricted. The hospital
and police records should be updated with the number of road
victims, the hospital staff, traffic police and ambulance
personnel should be considered for intensive training on
emergency and preparedness, and regular vehicle inspection
should be introduced in Kuwait City.
Keyword: Traffic- accidents-Risk Theory-System Theory-
Triangulation- method
INTRODUCTION
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that
1.17million deaths occur each year worldwide due to road
traffic accidents (World Health Organization,2001). Road
traffic accidents (RTAs) are increasingly being recognized
as a growing public social problem in Arabian Gulf countries.
The discovery of oil around the middle of the last century
has led to changes in many aspects of life in State of Kuwait.
There was an explosion in immigration and population, with
a corresponding increase in vehicle numbers accompanied
by rapidly expanding road construction programmers. The
recent economic boom witnessed due to a myriad of
reasons such as a perceived stability in the region after
removal of Saddam Hussein in Iraq and increase in oil
revenues due to increase in prices has led to a significant
increase in the expatriate population and resulting traffic and
congestion issues on Kuwait Road Network.
Traffic accidents are a common occurrence in Kuwait.
For a population of almost 2.5 million, there were in excess
of 45,878 traffic accidents in 2004. Hotspots include the
Fahaheel Expressway (Road 30) and the Alhmadi
Expressway (Road 40) south of the 4th Ring Road, and the
4th, 5th and 6th Ring Roads (Statistical Annual Report,
2012). Interior Ministry official who provided statistics
obtained from the Information and Statistics Division at the
Traffic General Department, revealed that 86 percent of
road fatalities were males as against 14 percent of female
victims. Four hundred people were killed while 8,000 were
injured in traffic accidents reported in 2012, local daily

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Table 1. Traffic violations
reported. According to the Ministry of Interior Statistics
Annual Report (2012), around 67,000 accidents were
reported around the country, the majority of which were
reported from the Capital Governorate with 20,762, followed
by Mubarak Al- Kabeer with 5,169. The statistics also show
an average 20 percent increase in the number of road
accidents recorded in each governorate.
Road Traffic Accidents in Kuwait
Kuwait has one of the highest accident fatality rates in the
world. Kuwait has implemented new, more stringent traffic
laws in November of 2001 to minimize traffic violations and
thereby reduce traffic accidents. To complement the laws,
over 70 cameras were installed to record speed and red-
light running violations. Despite the improved enforcement
efforts, the traffic safety situation has not improved. In the
year 2006, there were over 2.75 million traffic violations
reported in Kuwait. Included in this, are over 313,000 Red-
light running and 840,000 over-speeding violations recorded
by cameras (Statistical Annual Report, 2012). The number
of these kinds of serious violations has increased over the
years.
According to recent studies by the Traffic Department,
there are 75,194 accidents taking place on Kuwaiti roads
annually, which is 206 accidents per day on average, or 8.5
per hour. Fatalities have climbed to 493 per year, averaging
1.3 per day. This is a further increase since a WHO data
published in April 2011 on Road Traffic Accident Deaths in
Kuwait, which put the figure at 402 annually, which was 9.2
percent of the total mortality rate. The data also noted that
the age adjusted death rate is 16.4 per 100,000 of
population. Among the top 20 causes for deaths in Kuwait,
traffic accidents rank at No. 8, following coronary heart
disease, stroke, influenza and pneumonia, diabetes
mellitus, breast cancer, hyper tension and kidney disease.
In another study by Traffic National Strategy 2009-2019,
traffic congestions and accidents will cost Kuwait KD 27.430
billion in the next ten years, and the money to be spent by
Kuwait to deal with accidents will represent around 6 per
cent of its annual GDP.
The traffic strategy was launched by the Interior Ministry
in partnership with the United Nations Development
Program and Supreme Council for Planning and
Development to create an effective transport system by
reducing traffic congestion and the economic and
environmental problems arising from it. International experts
at a ‘Traffic’ conference held a few years ago in Kuwait had
pointed out to this trend of growing road accidents in Kuwait
and discussed their causes. Economic prosperity leading to
increased demand for newer and faster cars, which in turn
filled the roads, speeding, lack of full enforcement of law,
disinclination to use public transport facilities, using mobile
phones while driving and not adhering to basic safety
standards like wearing seat belts were identified as
important causes for road accidents. A survey of newspaper
reports over the years on traffic accidents by Arab Times
showed that despite measures by the authorities to contain
the situation, the rate of accidents has been steadily
climbing. According to reports in local dailies, the total
number of accidents in 2010 was about 49,000, indicating
an increase of more than 40 percent by 2012. The Ministry
of Interior had established a strategic vision to tackle traffic
problems based on 2010 statistics in Kuwait and other
international studies, which showed texting and browsing
Internet while driving are major causes of road accidents.
The ministry said that using hands-free technology or
Bluetooth, or even equipping the cars with sound systems
are all alternatives to the use of mobiles while driving.
Following these decisions, the ministry made laws against
use of mobile phones while driving more stringent, backing
it up with appropriate awareness campaigns. Traffic
violations data for the years 2006 is presented in table 1. A
total of 2.76 million violations have occurred in this year for
the six governorates. Many red light running, and over-
speed violations were recorded as in previous years. Over
80,000 seat belt violations also raise cause of safety
concern in Kuwait (Statistical Annual Report, 2012). The
rising trend in the number of different types of traffic
violations has become an important issue for policy planners
in Kuwait in the Ministry of Interior and the other concerned
departments of Government of Kuwait. A higher traffic

081 Triple A Res. J. Soc. Sci. Human.
council has been established to address these issues. The
Ministry of Interior is trying to make its penalty regime very
stringent. Over 25 million Kuwait Dinars were collected in
fines and several drivers’ licenses were suspended and
dozens were imprisoned for serious violations.
Objectives of the study
The general target of the examination is to explore and
recognize hazard factors contributing to high hazard rates of
Street Auto collisions in Kuwait City. More specifically, the
study will be geared to attain the following objectives:
1. To describe the numbers of injuries and death causalities
in the city in a period of 2010 to 2011.
2. To identify factors associated with highway traffic
accidents in Kuwait City.
3. To assess different road safety measures taken by local
authorities to prevent
Research questions
1. What are the numbers of casualties occurred at Kuwait
City in a period of 2010 and 2011? (by reviewing the hospital
information cards of accident victims admitted, Kuwait
Hospital records).
2. Which factors are associated with the causes of traffic
accidents in a high way road at Kuwait City? (By interviewing
in/outpatient accident victims at Kuwait Hospitals,
Government officials, traffic police at Kuwait City,
responsible officials and officials from the Ministry of
Health).
3. What kind of safety measures have been taken or
implemented by local authorities to prevent road traffic
accidents in Kuwait City? (by interviewing local authorities in
Kuwait City).
LITERATURE REVIEW
Past investigations have demonstrated that setback and
casualty rates in UAE and in different Gulf countries, are
significantly higher than in the creating nations with
tantamount vehicle possession levels (Bener, Abu-Zidan ,
Bensiali, Al-Mulla, Jadaan, 2003). The size of the issue
along these lines manages the requirement for more
research into street mishaps and related hazard factors. By
and large, the conduct of the street client obviously
constitutes a critical hazard factor. In any case, age, sex,
conjugal status, instruction, preparing, background, lifestyle,
enthusiastic status, weariness, response time, vision,
watchfulness and driving rate, additionally assume huge
parts and should be considered related hazard factors in
street car crashes (Gregersen and Bjurulf, 1996). In the EU
region, 30,700 people died in road traffic accidents in 2010
(European Commission, 2010a). The European Union’s
former road safety action Program (2001–2010) aimed to
halve the number of road deaths by 2010, and this ambitious
target has been renewed in the new EU road safety plan for
2011–2020 (European Commission, 2010b). Driving under
the influence (DUI) of alcohol or drugs, speeding and non-
use of seatbelts, are all major factors in fatal traffic accidents
(Clarke et al., 2010). It is apparent that the use of alcohol
and illicit or medicinal drugs that impair driving skills are very
common among fatally injured drivers. According to several
different studies approximately half (40–50%) of the drivers
in fatal traffic accidents have been found to have some
psychoactive substance present in their blood samples
(Carmen Del Rio et al., 2002; Drummer et al., 2003; Jones
et al., 2009). In case–control studies – whether the controls
were fatally injured drug- and alcohol-free drivers (Drummer
et al., 2004) or drivers recruited at random while driving on
public roads (Movig et al., 2004) – it has been found that the
use of alcohol and/or drugs increases the risk of a traffic
accident. The risk was especially high among drivers who
had used both alcohol and drugs, alcohol only or multiple
medicinal/illegal drugs (Fence et al., 2011). In Finland, in
2009 overall 279 people died in traffic accidents (Statistics
Finland, 2010). On a yearly basis during 2005–2009, circa
108 persons died in road traffic accidents involving
intoxicants (97 persons in alcohol-related and 11 persons in
other intoxicant related traffic accidents) (Statistics Finland,
2010). As in the EU road safety plan, so too in Finland the
aim is to reduce the number of fatal traffic accidents. The
long-term target is that there will be at most 100 deaths in
Finnish road traffic in 2025 (Finnish Government, 2006). In
one of the pioneering studies using a case crossover design,
Redelmeier and Tibshirani (1997) found that drivers were
four more times exposed to a traffic accident when they used
their mobile phones while driving than when not using them
and that hands-free phones were not safer than handheld
ones. A similar study conducted by McEvoy et al. (2005)
corroborated this earlier finding. Other studies have
concluded that drivers self-regulate their use of the mobile
phone in response to perceived driving demands. They
make more calls in light than in heavy traffic and in the
process reduce speed and keep further back from the
vehicle in front. An epidemiological study reports that drivers
who use the phone while driving are more likely to be in an
accident than those who do not (Dragutinovic and Twisk
2005). Relative crash risk does not differ between male and
female drivers or according to the type of phone. However,
drivers perceive hands-free sets to be far less dangerous
than handheld phones; in some studies, these devices are
seen to pose no risk at all (Dragutinovic and Twisk 2005).
Theoretical perspectives
System theory
The system theory is based on man-environment
adjustments and maladjustments (Muhlrad et al 2005). This
theory included the environment, the means of transport
(vehicles) and the behavior of man (Krug et al., 2000). The
means of transport component comprises of the volume and
quality of vehicles on the modes of transport. The behavior

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of man categories comprises of demographic characteristic
of road users such as level of age, gender, education, socio-
economic status, stage in life cycle), people’s perceptions of
risk and people’s general behavior on the streets. Thus,
systems theory is a system designed to ensure controls and
regulations of traffic safety. Traffic management should be
decisive to maintain road traffic safety (Haur, 1995:136;
Button, 1993:80).
Risk theory
In the risk theory, we should have defined risk as subjective
assessment of a negative event concerned individual with
the consequences of this event (Sjorberg 1983, Rundmo
2004 and Moen 2005). Several variables are thought to
influence risk perceptions among the public. Social relations
and media are thought to shape how individuals and
societies approach potential risks (Slovic 1987,
OlterdalMoen Klempe and Rundmo, 2004). There are many
several risks aspects have to be taken into consideration.
The first is the probability of a negative event and the
severity of consequences of such an event. In addition,
processing theories and appraisal theories account for how
affect influences such judgments. Many researchers
concluded that the greater the consequences of the
negative event, the more affect will be present when thinking
about the risk source, and the more precautionary action to
avoid an accident is expected (Rundmo and Iversen, 2004).
According to Wilde (2002) and Adams (1995) individual’s
risk-taking decisions represent a balancing act in which
perceptions of risk are weighed against propensity to take
risk. The propensity to take risk is influenced by expected
rewards and as a perceived threats or danger increase,
people respond by being more careful. There is therefore a
balancing behavior influenced by potential danger and
propensity to take the risk which in turn influences accidents
and rewards.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY
The methodology and procedure for data collection
employed in the field was based on both qualitative and
quantitative methodologies within a framework of a case
study approach. Interviews, focus group discussions,
observations and review of secondary data, were done
accordingly. In the existing literature of the social science, a
common term used to describe the use of both qualitative
and quantitative methods in research is triangulation. Baker
(1999) argued that triangulation technique enables a
researcher to gather evidence from multiple sources to
address the questions from different points of view. One
advantage of triangulation is that it can broaden the
research and at the same time strengthen the validity of the
research. Baker (1999) added this method used when a
researcher wants to look at the broad patterns of social life
or describe widespread social reactions for instance to
social policies. Hence it is powerful means of gaining
knowledge about the social world. In this study triangulation
method is convenient, in analyzing the risk factors
contributing to the cause of road traffic accidents in Kuwait
City, for the purpose of letting the community use the
information to formulate road safety policy according to their
reality and practices.
Qualitative methodologies
A qualitative research methodology covers a number of
alternative techniques, including interviews, participant
observation and focus group discussions. Qualitative
methodology helps to understand life experiences and to
reflect on the understandings and shared meaning of
peoples’ everyday social life and realities (Limb, 2001). In
this study qualitative approach has been used to collect the
primary source of data through interviews with the accident
victims who attended at the Kuwaiti hospitals, officials from
the Police office, officials from the Hospital, Personal
observation and a focus group discussion with Government
officials in Kuwait. The goal of collecting information from
informants was to seek the views of government officials in
various organizations about what the government has done
about the road traffic accidents in Kuwait City. This
necessitated the need to interview them using the in-depth
method with the help of an interview guide.
Quantitative methodology
In this study quantitative source of data which was collected
in the field was the review of hospital records of patients
admitted to the hospital as accident victims of all accidents
happened in Kuwait City from 2010 to 2011, a checklist form
as questionnaire guide was developed to collect this
information. The purpose of collecting this information is to
assess the pattern and trends of motor vehicle casualties
occurred at Kuwait City in a period of 2010 to 2011.
The quantitative data will be analyzed by using a
statistical package for social sciences (SPSS). The program
was extensively used to produce different statistical tables
of varying kinds, and in simple statistical computations. A
review of records was done systematically, and all records
were manually sorted out starting from 2010 to 2011. A
questionnaire form was used to pick individual information
of these accident victims from the hospitals records. During
the field work, the hospital data were entered in a computer
using SPSS statistical software. The standard statistical
tables were generated to examine the relationship between
outcome variables of deaths, injuries with exposure
variables of age and gender. The results are summarized to
show trends and patterns of motor accidents from the year
2010 to 2011 in tables.
Sample Selection
Mubarak Alkabber and Alammiri hospitals and Ministry of
Interior in Kuwait City was chosen purposively for the study.
The reason of choosing these hospitals in order to provide

Table 2: Trend of Road Traffic Accidents in Kuwait City
Type of Violation 2010 2011
Collision 64938 74177
Run Over 336 374
Rollover 478 540
Others 109 103
Total 65861 75194
Source: Police recorded registrations and Hospitals Reports. (2010 – 2011)
emergency services to road traffic accident victims. Records
of traffic accidents, type of motor involved, number of injured
persons, number of killed persons and recording where the
accident took place were placed inside the hospitals. The
Ministry of Interior is another data collection point of this
study, the ministry is the one responsible for the traffic
safety, controls, ensuring traffic rules and regulation are
followed, they also record and evaluate the causal factor of
all traffic accidents in an Kuwait City, again it was relevant
for the sake of this study Ministry of Interior to be one of the
data collection sources of the study. In an interview study,
sampling is connected to the decision of about which
persons should be interviewed in order to demonstrate the
findings (Patton,1990). Sampling is important in reducing
bias in the findings Flick (1998). The sample of respondents
included in this study considered the balance between men
and women though not equally, but both participated
representatively. According to Moen and Rundmo, (2004),
in their study on risk argued that a person who is directly
wounded by the hazard, he or she will be in a better position
to explain with a personal feeling on how dangerous the risk
of certain phenomena is. The available information also from
the annual report of The National Council of Road Traffic
Safety in Kuwait (2010) show that, the most people who
experience the effects of road traffic accidents first are the
accident victims because they are injured, second is the
government who is responsible for the security, the third are
the owners of the vehicles who experiences the property
damage.
Reliability and Validity
According to the interviews we had with the police from the
Ministry of Interior, the police commander said that there is
no updates of police records but hospital records can be
updated because they are the once who deals with the
accident victims. Therefore, the use of the use of
triangulation method helped to verify and covers the gape
which is likely to be found in one side of the data collection
point. In this regard the researcher gathered evidence from
multiple sources to address the research questions from
different point of view including the interviews was done.
With regards to the issue of reliability, it must be noted
that it is not a basic aim of this research. This is because for
this study to be replicable it must adhere to strict rules
associated with quantitative research and this was not the
case in this study. Apart from the fact that the study is not
fully quantitative, the finding of this research may not be
replicable anywhere even if the same methods
(triangulation) of data collection are used. This is because
the setting of the study and the period in which the study
was carried out can and may affect the findings. (Baker
1999) notes that field work done by different people at
different times might well turn up different perspectives and
results.
Trend of Road Traffic Accidents in Kuwait City
The trend of road traffic accidents and type of violation in
Kuwait City has been increased for the years (2010 and
2011). The striking thing in table 2 according to the police
record registration from the Ministry of Interior and hospitals
reports are consistently high. There was a total of 65861
accidents in year 2010 comparing with total of 75194
accidents in year 2011.
Distribution of casualties in Kuwait City
Table 3 below shows the trend of road traffic accident
causalities (Minor, Severe Injured and Killed) persons along
Kuwait City highway from 2010 to 2011. Overall there were
2624 causalities with an average of 41% minor injured
people, 26% severe injured people, and 33% deaths. The
trend seems to suggest that the distribution of casualties
increased for the years (2010 and 2011). Traffic accidents
are increasing every year, and there are many accidents
which are not reported, and in most cases, police receive
the information of these unreported accidents through
insurance companies who wants to verify the occurrences
of these accidents when their customers claim for the
compensations. There are several reasons to take into
consideration on the trend of traffic accidents in Kuwait City,
the commander said, though it is not true to point out just a
single factor that can be identified the acceleration of the
number of road traffic accident or accidents in Kuwait City;
but the most frequently factors experienced by the Police
involve a dangerous driving behavior. Others are driving
while under influence of alcohol and drugs. One of the
accident victims who was interviewed said that, lack of traffic
separation, road signs and high traffic volume exposure on
the highway contribute strongly to the frequently occurrence
of road traffic accident in Kuwait City. Locals’ behavior on

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Table 3: Distribution of casualties in Kuwait City
Type of Injury 2010 Percentage 2011 Percentage Total Percentage
Minor Injury 500 43% 585 40% 1085 41%
Severe Injury 286 25% 386 26% 672 26%
Death 374 32% 493 34% 867 33%
Total 1160 100% 1464 100 2624 100%
Table 4: Distribution of Death Causalities by Gender Groups in Kuwait City
Death 2010 2011 Total Percentage
Male 315 437 752 87%
Female 59 56 115 13%
Total 374 493 867 100%
the usage of the highway as a market place such as petty
traders is also another risk factor which contributes to traffic
Distribution of Death Causalities by Gender Groups in
Kuwait City
Table 4 shows the distribution number of death causalities
by gender group from 2010 to 2011 years in Kuwait City.
Overall there were 867 death causalities with an average of
87% of male death and 13% of female death. The results
revealed that the highest percentage of those who died in
traffic accidents were male for the years (2010 and 2011).
The general observation was that males were more involved
in road accidents because they travel more in their daily
duties compared with females who usually stay at home
doing domestic duties.
Distribution of Death Causalities by Age Groups in
Kuwait City
Table 5 below shows the distribution number of death
causalities by age groups from 2010 to 2011 years in Kuwait
City. The results revealed that almost the highest
percentage of those who died in traffic accident were aged
(21-30), (31-40), (11-20), and (41-50) years respectively.
These findings were consistent with other studies (Bener et
al1992) that the majority of victims were males under the
age of 30 years.
Qualitative Analysis
Traffic Death Crisis in Kuwait
The Chairperson of Traffic Safety Society, Bader Al Kill,
recently conceded that Kuwait has broken the world record
in the number of traffic deaths. He said 17 deaths are
recorded in every 100,000 accidents; he blamed the Kuwaiti
roads, which can accommodate only 700,000 vehicles,
while 1.6 million vehicles ply the roads. Compounding the
problem, about 80,000 new cars enter the roads every year,
according to another study.
Crowded roads, driving under the influence of drugs and
increasingly distracted drivers has led the Ministry of Interior
in Kuwait to formulate a strategic vision to tackle traffic
problems based on 2010 and 2011 statistics. Studies show
that texting and browsing the Internet and driving under the
influence of alcohol and drugs are major causes of road
accidents. The ministry has proposed that using hands-free
technology or even equipping the cars with sound systems
are all safer alternatives than using mobile phones while
driving. The ministry has made laws against the use of
mobile phones while driving more stringent, backing this
legislation up with appropriate awareness campaigns.
The Mystique of the Automobile
Despite alarming accident statistics, the mystique of the
automobile continues. In Kuwait, the car is a symbol of social
superiority and individuality, one that has become deeply
embedded in the soul of Kuwaiti drivers. Those who drive
fast cars consider themselves superior to those who use a
less powerful form of transport or drive a less powerful type
of car.
Besides the thrill of speed, adventure, and
independence, the car can be a means of self-
congratulation when a driver feels he deserves a reward, a
sign of how hard he has worked. A luxurious car is one way
publicly to pamper oneself. Too many drivers, cars are
simply entrancing—the sensation of speed, the sound of the
car, the rhythm of the wheels and the continually changing
lights and colors induce an almost trance-like state in some
Kuwaiti drivers. Some even see driving a car as a form of
meditation, feeling at one with the machine. Of course, this
delight in driving is not shared by all: for many elderly
people, driving a car in modern traffic is no thrill at all;

Table 5: Distribution of Death Causalities by Age Groups in Kuwait City
Age 2010 Percentage 2011 Percentage Total Percentage
1-10 Years 16 4.3% 30 6.1% 46 5.3%
11-20 years 66 17.6% 99 20.1% 165 19.0%
21-30 years 100 26.7% 111 22.5% 211 24.3%
31-40 years 77 20.6% 102 20.7% 179 21.0%
41-50 years 54 14.4% 73 14.8% 127 15.0%
51-60 years 30 8.0% 41 8.3% 71 8.1%
61 and above 30 8.0% 36 7.3% 66 7.1%
Unknown 1 0.3% 1 0.2% 2 0.2%
Total 374 100% 493 100% 867 100%
maneuvering a complex machine through demanding and
risky traffic conditions is an experience that only modern
times can offer.
Risk-taking among Youth
Young Kuwaitis usually know how to use the roads safely;
some even feel that their behavior becomes more careless
as they grow older. But with increasing independence,
teenagers who spend less time in the company of adults are
free to engage in risks they would not have undertaken in an
adult's presence. Although they report that they have
engaged in more “common risk” behavior, many felt their
increased ability to see over the steering wheel, judge
distances, and go faster meant that even when engaging in
risky behavior that they were not putting themselves at
significantly greater danger. While some admit to
participating in “common risk” behavior, many could not
explain why they did so, appearing to engage in this
behavior subconsciously. Some young Kuwaiti teenagers
explained their various risk-taking behaviors in terms of not
wanting to waste time: they report not using crossings
because it takes “too long” for the light to change; others
suggest that behaving cautiously is not a “cool” thing to do.
Although some young Kuwaiti people complained that they
were not choosing to take risks but that they had to because
of the lack of designated crossing places. There is,
however, little evidence that increasing the number of
crossings would result in a corresponding rise in their use.
Even where crossings are plentiful, most young Kuwaiti
people admit that they rarely use them.
Many of the young Kuwaiti people involved in the
research had been involved in a pedestrian road accident or
knew a friend who had been. However, even such personal
experiences failed to impact their long-term behavior.
Talking with young people who have been involved in an
accident or who have known someone who has been in one
highlights another inconsistency: when asked what would
stop them from taking risks on the road, most replied “if it
happened to me.” Yet such personal experiences rarely
have any effect on actual behavior. For example, those who
witnessed very serious accidents felt that it changed their
behavior for a few days after the accident, but they soon
returned to taking risks on the roads daily. Continuing to
engage in risky behavior in some way reflects young Kuwaiti
teenagers' definition of “serious.” While many Kuwaiti adults
would consider cuts, bruises, and broken bones to be
serious (and these are used as the definition for official road
accident statistics), many young Kuwaiti people do not see
these injuries as warranting concern. To young Kuwaiti
teenagers, serious accidents are those which result in death
or permanent disability.
Dangerous Driving
Dangerous driving behavior was identified in most of
accidents. These included driving at high speed, tailgating,
racing friends, and undertaking hazardous passing
maneuvers. Notably, excessive speed was referred to in
nearly all cases. In one statement, a witness commented:
“My first impression was that [the car] was travelling far too
fast to negotiate the bend safely . . . I could see his hands
turning the steering wheel to his right in a large movement,
his whole-body movement and body language gave me the
impression of panic.” In another example, it was noted that
male driving style may be affected by the presence of other
males in the car, causing them to behave differently from the
way they would under other circumstances. In one case, a
female friend commented: “He always drove safely with me
in the car. He drove faster when he had the lads in the car.
I had not experienced him driving excessively fast myself.”
The statements presented a positive perception of the
driving ability of the deceased. This is interesting, given the
knowledge that many collisions are the result of risky or
dangerous driving behavior. The partner of one individual
reported that the driver was excellent, considering that he
was still young and did not have a lot of experience: “He
never drove fast with me or [their baby] in the car and
certainly wouldn’t do if the roads were potentially risky. He
constantly talked about other accidents he’d seen to and
from work, which always reassured me that he’d drive
safely.”
Inexperience and Over-confidence
However, statements made by men were not always so
positive. One father reported of his son: “He was in my eyes
a typical young driver. He had a few bumps and things. I

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would say he was a confident driver but at times over
confident. He sometimes drove, and I would say, ‘Stop, drop
me off.’ I think his driving just needed maturity.” The
perception of driving ability was linked to a lack of adherence
to safety regulations. Although most young people observed
safety regulations, the decision not to wear a seatbelt or
helmet suggests that such drivers were confident in their
ability to drive without incident. In one case, despite being
involved in a collision in the week leading up to his death,
the driver chose not to wear a seatbelt, as described by a
friend: “I can say that the habit of wearing a seatbelt as he
found it too restrictive. I had asked him if he was wearing
one when he hit the van [referring to prior collision]. He said
he had not but had been able to brace himself on that
occasion against the steering wheel.” There was a sense of
overconfidence and an inflated view of driving skills and
ability in many cases. One case concerned two cars that
were involved in a race. On interviewing the male driver of
the second car, who was unharmed, the police reported: “He
agreed that he had been driving 2 to 3 car lengths behind at
approximately 100 km. He did not consider this to be an
unsafe following distance.” In another example, a rear-seat
passenger stated: “I also saw at least one large arrow
shape, indicated to our left. I knew this to mean that we
should stay on our own side of the road. [The front seat
passenger] was shouting, ‘What are you doing? You are not
going to make that!’ or [something] similar. I became aware
that we were now on the offside of the road… As this was
happening I heard [the front seat passenger] shout a second
time. This sounded much more urgent than before as he
said, ‘We’re not going to make that.’” Agencies Add: Teen
killed: A citizen in his teens died and another sustained
severe injuries and additional fractures during a traffic
accident on the Fahaheel Expressway. Acting on
information the Operations Room of the Interior Ministry
received in that concern, paramedics with security
operatives rushed to the scene and carried the injured
person to Al-Adan Hospital for medical attention, while the
remains of the victim were deposited to Forensics. Many
young people reported a interest in motor vehicles. There
were several examples when an individual reportedly spent
time caring for their vehicle, making sure it was kept in a
good quality condition, both aesthetically and mechanically.
A male mentioned “I always talked about my car and how I
loved to drive it”. In another example, a female stated: “I
would not wish to damage my car in any way. My car was a
pride and joy. I would even pick parking spaces away from
other vehicles so that it wouldn’t get marked or damaged.”
Families of road accident victims spoke to said that often
times the guilty are not the ones who pay for the violations.
Minimol, the widow of Xavier, said her husband died when a
speeding motorist lost control and crashed into his car.
Recently two Kuwaiti girls died on the spot when a bus
jumping red light plowed into their car. This underlines the
need to make the laws against traffic violations very severe,
they added. “Violations like jumping red light should be
treated like first degree crime.” Some of them also stressed
the need to enforce the law evenly on everybody, citizens
and expatriates, to ensure that everyone respects road
rules.”
DISCUSSION
The study has revealed the pattern and trends of motor
traffic accidents according to interviews done with the
accident victims, governmental traffic commander, focus
group discussion with officials and the official from the
ministry of health, and hospitals in Kuwait City from 2010 to
2011. There was an increasing every year, passengers and
pedestrians are always at highest risk of being injured or
killed on the road. Young males are highly prone to motor
traffic accidents in Kuwait City. Therefore, risk-taking
approach (Iversen and Rundmo, 2002; Oltedal, and
Rundmo, 2006; Lund Rundmo, 2009), and other risky road
use attitudes have been reported to play roles in road
accidents. Deery (1999) has found that young drivers are
more susceptible to impaired risk perception and others feel
more invulnerable to traffic risks (Weinstein, 1984).
Qualitative results showed that the technical element of the
highway construction, irresponsibility, poor management,
alcohol and drugs, age of the victims and poor condition of
services as the important risk factors associating to the
cause of traffic accidents. The following issues were
identified as factors facilitating the occurrence of road traffic
accident in Kuwait City. The police commander said that,
there are common risk factors which they normally arrest the
drivers in Kuwait City such as overloading the passengers,
driving while drunk, over speeding, driving without using the
seatbelt, driving without driving license, driving cars without
lights, driving cars without insurance, driving cars with worn-
out tires, driving cars without site mirrors and overloading
the cargo to the trucks. At the same time, he also mentioned
that, there is a need to expand the highway and repair it
accordingly, traffic separation in the highway is urgently
needed, the road is narrow, and it accommodates only two
lines, this situation cannot allow overtaking, the land scape
is another factor facilitating traffic accidents. The provision
of road signs is not enough. One of the main risk factors
associated to the course of traffic accidents in Kuwait City is
the technical element of the highway construction in the
country, the highway road is below standard, and it
accommodates high traffic volume without being equipped
with traffic safety measures such as traffic separation and
appropriate road signs alongside the road. The police
commander also mentioned that Kuwait highway road was
not designed with the facilities to accommodate the
characteristics and behavior of road users, vehicles, traffic
and environment.
According to system theory, a system of highway
designed to ensure that road users adhere to the controls
and regulations of traffic flow for maintaining road traffic
safety (Haur, 1995:136; Button, 1993:80). An interview with
accident victims identifies that poor visual guidance and
poorly controlled and uncontrolled intersections and access
to the road are the main risk factors relating to traffic

accidents in Kuwait City. All these risk factors are conflicted
with the system theory.
On the other hand, most informants mentioned that,
driving while using cell phone is one of the human behavior
factors contributing to the cause of road traffic accidents in
Kuwait City. During the focus group discussion, it was
presented by the officer that, “A hand –held cellular phone
is used in a variety of circumstances by road users in Kuwait
City, while walking down the street (pedestrians) or
operating motor vehicle.
According to the interviews with accident victims, some
mentioned that, their accidents were caused by the drivers
when using the mobile phone just before the accident, when
driver was concentrating to the cellular phones, passengers
(accident victims) detected unstable movement of the
vehicle and immediately the collision to another vehicle
happened. These finding are consisted with the research
studies (Wilde, 2002, and Adams 1995).
According to the interview with the traffic police and the
accident victims they all mentioned that driving profession
seem to be possessed by less educated people in Kuwait
City. This means that the quality of drivers in Kuwait City is
one of the risk contributing factors to traffic accidents. It has
been identified and observed by the police that, most drivers
in Kuwait City are driving at a speed higher than appropriate
for a given road and traffic conditions, Drivers do not pay
attention to the needs of non-motorized traffic and other
road users, drivers are exposing oneself to traffic while
under the influence of alcohol and drugs. These all
behaviors contribute to the course of traffic accidents in
Kuwait City and consisted with the previous research
studies (Carmen Del Rio et al., 2002; Drummer et al., 2003;
Jones et al., 2009). While interviewing Officials from the
hospital they all emphasized that, drivers in Kuwait do not
tend to undergo regular checkup for ascertaining proper
functioning of their sensitive organs such as eyes, ears,
heart etc. and this can also be one of the risk factors
associated to cause of traffic accident.
CONCLUSION
Road safety education will lead better knowledge and
understanding which automatically will save lives and
reduce the number of injuries and deaths in future, children
will also educate their parents, and children will be out future
drivers who shall be safe road users. Teaching and learning
methodologies are highly participatory. Students centered
techniques are well elaborated in all syllabi including
teachers and tutor’s modules. Such techniques among
others include: excursions, role plays, songs, poems, group
discussions, question and answer, brainstorming,
demonstrations, tabletop exercises, drama, and project
work. A driving license database should be developed and
implemented. It should be noted that properly educated
drivers will have a positive impact on traffic safety. Efforts
must focus on the young future driving license holders. The
Kuwaiti government can play a big role to remedy the
situation for relief if road safety is considered to be one of
the priorities in its distribution and allocation of resources in
terms of budget, supply of resources, updating the laws and
rules, implementing the road safety policy and empower
Community involvement to be responsible, accountable and
participate on road safety matters so as to combat road
traffic accidents. The traffic police should strengthen
surveillance and enforcement to net drivers who drink
alcohol beverages and then drive their vehicles to reduce
those accidents which occur during weekends and at nights.
For example, in order to track down cell phone-related road
accidents, police should be required to record among other
factors, whether or not a cellular phone was present at the
time of the accident. And laws should be imposed to restrict
the use of cell phones when driving.
Future Studies
Comparative study of road traffic accidents between Kuwait
and other gulf and Arab countries is an important area to be
focused. This will facilitate the Kuwaiti government authority
to have an opportunity to compare the burden of traffic
accidents locally and in international perspective.
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