Investigating the Impact of Alcohol and Drug Use and Impulsive Driving on Taxi Drivers' Behavior: Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the driving behaviour of Turkish taxi drivers on the basis of their frequency of alcohol and drug use (including medicine abuse) and impulsive characteristics, and to reveal the relationship between these variables. Material and Methods: A total of 59 volunteer male taxi drivers living in Ankara, Erzincan and Tokat completed a series of tests (i.e., Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Short Form, Drug Use Disorders Identification Test, Driver Behavior Questionnaire, Impulsive Driver Behavior Scale and demographic and driver information form). Data were transferred to the SPSS v.25, where they were summarized using frequency tables and analyzed using correlation and hierarchical regression analysis. Results: Approximately 5% of taxi drivers reported high-risk alcohol use, and 10.2% reported a history of problematic drug use. Only one participant had a high-risk drug use. Additionally, 15.3% of the drivers reported receiving traffic fines at least once for driving under the influence of alcohol. The findings revealed that alcohol use significantly influenced aggressive violations, while drug use affected violations, lapses, and aggressive violations. Conclusion: The characteristics of alcohol, drug and medicine use by drivers are important issues that need to be analyzed from a road safety perspective.