Abstract

Background: Motorcycles have a higher rate of fatality than cars within the same distance travelled. Head injuries are the main causes of death in motorcycle crashes. The objective of this study is to investigate intrinsic motivation and psychological factors on use of a helmet among motorcyclists in Gorgan City, Iran, in 2016. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional survey was conducted among motorcycle riders at randomly selected areas such as fuel stations and service complexes in Gorgan City, Iran, in 2016. The questionnaire was composed of two parts, and 393 people were fully responsive to all questions. The first part included social demographic questions such as age, gender, education, income and marital status. The second part was consisted of questions measuring the intrinsic motivation of incentives and barriers, perceived benefits and barriers, perceived behavioral control, and behavior. Results: Based on both Pearson correlation and Canonical Correlation Analysis (CCA), the correlation of intrinsic motivation incentives with perceived benefits under the influence of respect for the law was statistically significant (χ2 = 68.751, P < 0.010), (r = 0.491, P < 0.010) which would greatly increase helmet use. Intrinsic motivation barriers with perceived benefits was more influenced by the importance of appearance for drivers with a significant correlation (χ2 = 40.655, P < 0.010), (r = 0.281, P < 0.010), this factor was found to reduce the use of helmets among motorcyclists. Conclusions: In this study, care for appearance is regarded as an intrinsic motivation which has a significant correlation in almost all psychological factors and finally leads to the use or not use of a helmet. Another key factor which persuades the riders to wear a helmet is respect to the traffic regulations; thus, enforcing the law may be a fundamental strategy for increasing helmet use.