Driver Behaviors of 112 Emergency Medical Services Personnel

Abstract

Aim: The purpose of this study is to determine the driver behaviors of emergency health personnel driving ambulances. Materials and Methods: This descriptive study included ambulance drivers at the Izmir 112 Emergency Medical Services Department. We prepared a questionnaire consisting of 21 items as the data collection tool in this study. Moreover, we used this questionnaire to evaluate personal information and driver behaviors. Furthermore, a researcher in our study conducted face-to-face interviews to obtain data at the ambulance stations. Results: Altogether, 90.9% of the participants were self-confident in driving ambulances. Moreover, 88.8% of the participants followed traffic rules and 74.1% followed speed limits. In total, 55.2% of the participants previously had traffic accidents, and this ratio was lower in personnel taking 24-hour shifts. Conclusion: We found that ambulance drivers are self-confident and follow speed limits as well as traffic rules. We also determined that approximately half of the participants previously had a traffic accident.