Causes of road accidents as perceived by Arabs in Israel: A qualitative study

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.