The present study developed a Persian version of the Adolescent Road User Behaviour Questionnaire
(ARBQ) and investigated the psychometric properties of the scale in a sample of school students in the
province of Tehran (Iran). In total 1111 adolescents completed the Persian version of the ARBQ.
Exploratory factor analysis, using the shortened 21-item version of the scale revealed the presence of
three reliable factors which were also supported using confirmatory factor analysis.
According to this research, engagement in dangerous playing in the road was significantly higher
among males, residents of large urban areas, students from private schools, students in the south of
Tehran, those who reported relatives or friends had been killed in a road crash and those with a personal
history of road accidents. Moreover, older adolescents, those who reported relatives or friends having
been killed in a road crash and those with a traffic accident history reported higher involvement in unsafe
crossing behaviour. Females, older adolescents, residents of small urban areas, students from schools in
small urban areas and those with an accident history also reported less frequent engagement in planned
protective behaviours.
This study confirms that the ARBQ is a useful framework for investigating adolescents’ on-road
behaviours in Iran. This research also showed that adolescents put themselves at risk by engaging in
hazardous behaviours. As is the case in most countries, this study revealed the need for interventions,
such as education and enforcement to improve the on-road safety culture amongst Iranian adolescents.