Traffic Accident Traits and Driver Characteristics Implication on Road Accidents using Descriptive Analysis: A Cross Sectional Study in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq

The current study focuses on disclosing the types and causes of traffic events in the Sulaymaniyah governorate and their association with driver implications. The study was conducted between September 2019 and August 2020 in cooperation with the General Directorate of Traffic. A total of 573 traffic accident forms were directly collected at the site of crush events. The result shows that the collision type of Road Traffic Accidents (RTAs) is the most frequent type, accounting for 64.6% of the total. Higher incidence of RTAs was recorded in pickup, taxi, and motorcycle automobiles than in private cars. The analysis showed that the driver's faults are responsible for 81.4% of RTAs followed by road issues, mechanical car faults, and environmental factors which were responsible for 15%, 2.4%, and 1.2%, respectively. The most important driver factors accountable for RTAs were overspeeding, low level of education, gender, young age, and alcohol intake. Driver age group 19-33 is highly associated with RTAs with the peak occurring at the age of 21 years.