Analyzing Factors Associated with Road Accidents Involving Taxi Drivers in the United Arab Emirates

Known for their high traffic congestion and dense populations, urban areas are more likely to experience road accidents. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has some of the world’s most urbanized cities. In order to reduce road accidents in the UAE, the government has addressed, among other things, driving behaviors. Taxi drivers are particularly at risk of accidents due to long driving hours and fatigue. Accidents are not exclusively caused by drivers. Therefore, this study aims to investigate other contributing factors associated with taxi accidents in the UAE. Accident records covering the period of 2015 and 2021 were collected from an anonymous taxi company in the UAE. Using SPSS software, we analyzed the data to determine the annual trend of road accidents and the frequency distribution of each factor. It has been observed that accident rates have declined in recent years. According to the results, 88.4% of accidents were considered minor and caused small damage. Additionally, approximately 41% of the accidents happened between 8:01 AM and 4:00 PM, and over 50% involved drivers with less than 5 years of experience. Further, winter season accidents were slightly higher than other seasons. As a result of this study, governments and transportation authorities can better understand the factors causing taxi accidents. Additional factors can be considered, such as psychophysiological and sociodemographic factors as well as daily travel distances and working hours.