| Author | Nuttapong Boontob |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.TE-04-07 |
| Subject(s) | Automobiles--Thailand--Seat belts
|
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the
degree of Master of Engineering, School of Civil Engineering |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Series Statement | Thesis ; no. TE-04-07 |
| Abstract | In Thailand the third leading cause of death is traffic injury and approximately 14,000 deaths and costs 69,656.2 million Baht annually in economic loss or 2.23 per cent of the Gross National Product (GNP). Using seat belt is one of the road effective strategies available to the driving public for avoiding death and injury in a crash. This study was therefore undertaken to investigate seat belt usage and factors that influence seat belt use in Thailand. Furthermore, it also attempted to analyze the impact of seat belt usage in motor vehicle crashes by using the accident data from hospital. A total of 15,609 observations was made to observe those motorists who were belted and unbelted in 9 provinces throughout Thailand. The overall seat belt usage rates observed at these 9 provinces were 55 % for belted and 45 % for unbelted. The highest rate of seat belt usage by passenger cars was 85 % observed in Bangkok and the lowest usage rate of 36 % found in Suphanburi. For pickup the highest and lowest usage rate were 74 % and 33 % for Bangkok and Suphanburi, respectively. The highest usage rates in male (79 %) and female (61 %) were observed in Bangkok while the lowest usage rates were found in Suphanburi in both males (42 %) and females (26 %). Seat belt usage rate by seating position was found that drivers seat belt usage rates are consistently higher (63 %) than front seat passenger usage rate (47 %), and rear passenger (9 %). The highest usage rate for all of three seating positions were found in Bangkok (driver = 94 %, front seat = 79 % and rear seat = 12 %). In Suphanburi province, it was found the lowest usage rate for all of three seating positions (driver = 45 %, front seat = 22 % and rear seat = 0 %). A questionnaire study was carried out in 6 provinces in Thailand with the compliance of behavior of car occupants in relation to seat belt use. A total of 1,968 respondents was interviewed. Four variables were found to be significant at 5 percent level (p<0.05): seating position, average travel time, the attitude on seat belt need while driving in low speed and seat belt effectiveness. All of these variables were analyzed and found to be strongly influencing factors with seat belt usage rate. The impact of seat belt usage from car accident in Thailand was analyzed by using the accident data obtained from Khon Kaen Hospital during 2001 2004. The data were analyzed by using the probability of survival and severity index analyses and found that the car users who are unbelted could have higher severity rate of 67.5 % than those who are belted. The fatality reduction analysis was adopted to find the number of people could be saved by seat belt usage. The result showed that in every 100 people in fatal injuries, 34 people could be saved by seat belt. From the risk ratio analysis, the car users who are unbelted have 1.52 times more risk to be killed than who are belted. As a result, the computerized system was developed as a supplementary tool for assessing the impact analysis of seat belt usage in motor vehicle crashes in Thailand. |
| Year | 2005 |
| Corresponding Series Added Entry | Asian Institute of Technology. Thesis ; no. TE-04-07 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Civil Engineering |
| Department | Department of Civil and Infrastucture Engineering (DCIE) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Transportation Engineering (TE) |
| Chairperson(s) | Yordphol Tanaboriboon; |
| Examination Committee(s) | Pannapa Herabat;Hanaoka, Shinya; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Royal Thai Government Fellowship; |
| Degree | Thesis (M.Eng.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2005 |