Smoking Behavior and Driver's Involvement in Road Traffic Accidents in Bangladesh

Smoking is the world's leading preventable cause of death, and it is becoming more prevalent among adults in Bangladesh. Road traffic accidents (RTAs) have been an outbreak in recent years, and smoking habits among bus-truck drivers in Bangladesh are on the rise. This study aims to determine the prevalence and pattern of smoking and smokeless tobacco use among the bus drivers of Dhaka City in Bangladesh. This cross-sectional study included 424 questionnaire surveys with drivers (bus and truck) and 10 KIIs. Chi-squared tests were used to measure differences between various parameters (related to smoking habits and driving), while logistic regression models were used to determine the relationship between RTA risk factors and socio-demographic features and other variables. The study results show that about 75.9% of respondents were tobacco users, and among them, 75.9% use Sadapata. Therefore, 57.9% of respondents smoke while driving, and 75.6% used SLT < 10 times while driving. About 64.6% of respondents were involved in RTAs where buses (25.3%), trucks (17.5%), and cars (17.5%) are responsible for RTAs. Statistically, a significant association was found between RTAs and smoking while driving (p < 0.003). The non-licensed drivers are about 3.8 times more likely to be in RTAs than licensed drivers, with a trust period ranging from 1.12 to 13.72. This findings reveal that drivers are addicted to smoking and their smoking behavior, awareness about smoking, lack of a driver's license, personal income, and education have a significant impact on RTAs.