Content-Analysis of text and video news of traffic accidents in Iran during the years 2001-2017

Purpose: The mass media is an effective tool for improving traffic culture by education. The aim of this study was to analyses the content of the text and video news on traffic accidents of Iran during the years 2001 to 2017. Methods: This qualitative study with Content-Analysis approach was conducted in 2018. The needed data was gathered by searching the keywords of “road traffic injuries, traffic accident, road traffic accident, accident, incident, and crash” in web archives of news agencies and news broadcasting channels. The data entered into an extraction table designed by the study team. To analyze the data, the Content-Analysis method was applied. The Microsoft Excel software was used to draw the figures. Results: Crossing the lane to left (wrong-way driving), distracted driving, speed limit violation, reckless driving, drowsiness and fatigue were the main causes of collisions in the news. Majority (34.5%) of the accidents occurred in early hours of day (0 to 6 mornings). Fall was the season with highest incidence of the crashes (38.15%). In the text news the light vehicle such as cars were the most involved in the crashes (54.13%). In the video news also the light vehicles were involved in majority of the crashes (90.4%). Only in 10% of the text news and 20% of the video news educational and preventive materials were included. Conclusion: Findings of this study showed that the prevention and education did not get sufficient attention in the published news on traffic accidents. It is suggested that when pressing the news on traffic accidents, besides the news of the accident, educational and preventive materials be communicated with people. ©2017 Swedish Science Pioneers, All rights reserved. Co r r e s pondence Naser Derakhshani: Road Traffic Injury Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran. Email: derakhshani.mhc@gmail.com Tell: +989141078750