Sociodemographic profile of motorcyclists and their vulnerabilities in traffic

Abstract

Introduction: Violence has acquired an endemic character in society; traffic violence stands out, particularly considering the upward trend in deaths among motorcyclists. Objectives: To describe the sociodemographic profile and analyze the vulnerabilities of motorcyclists from their experiences in traffic. Methods: This is an exploratory descriptive study with a quantitative approach, performed through interviews with three groups of motorcyclists: those who used motorcycles for recreation, transportation, and for work. Results: Most participants were male (> 80%), mainly young adults in the transportation and work groups (p < 0.001); with higher schooling and income levels in the recreation group (p < 0.001); and with lightweight motorcycles in the transportation and work groups (p < 0.001). Similar experiences fragilizing all three groups include alcohol consumption, disregard of traffic rules, and acts of aggression. With a different experience from the transportation and work groups, the recreation group experienced circumstances that were favorable to traffic safety. Overall, the pattern of answers in the transportation and work groups associated them with higher susceptibility; the work group, represented by motorcycle couriers, was marked by accidents and poor working conditions. Conclusions: Contextual variables inflict a higher traffic vulnerability on motorcyclists of the transportation and work groups. We advocate that further exploration of the analysis of road traffic accidents be a social construct, and advances in the knowledge of risks and margins for implementing safety measures will only be possible when the approaches consider social, economic, and cultural aspects.