Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Journal of Public Health (Germany), 2025 (ESCI)
Aim: To explore the relationship between smartphone and social media addiction and traffic safety. Subject and methods: Our study is cross-sectional. Sociodemographic data form, Smartphone Addiction Scale (SAS) and Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS) were applied to 788 adults who drive regularly. Results: During driving, it was found that 68.5% of participants engaged in phone conversations, 28.4% sent text messages, 68.5% accessed their phones, and 33.9% reviewed their social media accounts. It was found out that 19.9% experienced near-miss incidents when using their phones, and 9.8% encountered near-miss incidents while engaging with social media. The mean SAS and BSMAS scores were significantly higher among individuals who engaged in phone conversations while driving, in contrast to those who refrained from such behavior; similarly, scores were higher for those who checked their phones versus those who did not, for individuals who accessed social media compared to those who didn't and for those who encountered near-miss incidents while using their phones or social media compared to those who did not (p<0.001 for all). Linear regression analysis revealed that factors associated with SAS scores included age, time spent on the phone, frequency of checking the phone, near-miss accidents due to phone use, and traffic rule violations. Factors associated with BSMAS scores included age, female gender, time spent on social media, frequency of social media checks, and near-miss accidents due to social media use. Conclusion: It can be concluded that smartphone and social media addiction may pose a considerable threat to driving safety.