Explaining barriers and challenges to child safety during driving from parents’ perspectives: a qualitative content analysis

Traffic crushes can lead to acute and long-term consequences on children's physical health, mental well-being, and overall quality of life. This study aimed to identify parents' perspectives on traffic safety barriers and the causes of child road traffic collisions in Yazd, Iran. This qualitative study was conducted in 2023 with 24 participants, specifically, parents, selected through purposeful and snowball sampling. Data collection was performed using open and semi-structured interviews. The data analysis employed thematic analysis with an inductive approach. The results show five main categories and 20 subcategories. The main categories include "Parent-related factors," "Child-related factors," "Executive/Managerial factors," "Cultural factors," and "Economic/Infrastructure Factors". The "Parent-related factors" category includes seven : "Behavioral factors", "Risky behaviors", "Personal /Mental Factors", "Cognitive Factors", "Safety Equipment", "Strategies and Supporting Factors for Child Safety" and "Education". The "Child-related factors" category consists of four subcategories: "Behavioral factors", "Risky behaviors", "Cognitive factors" and "Education". The third main category, "Executive/Managerial factors," includes three subcategories: "Prevention", "Compliance with traffic laws", and "Policymaking". The fourth main category, "Cultural factors," includes three subcategories: "Cultivating Road Safety", "Child rearing/Communication with child" and "Safety education and awareness raising". The final main category, "Economic/Infrastructure factors," consists of three subcategories: "Financial Capability", "Vehicle Safety and Quality", and "Road Infrastructure". Implementing appropriate and specific traffic collision mitigation and prevention interventions at the family, school, and community levels can play a significant role in reducing both the incidence of traffic crush and the severity of injuries sustained by children.