The association between driving under the influence of alcohol and seatbelt usage in Korea

Despite the mandatory use of seatbelts in Korea, their prevalence remains comparatively low. This study examines whether DUIA, a leading risk factor for road traffic injuries, predicts seatbelt usage by analyzing the prevalence of seatbelt use among individuals who have experienced DUIA compared to those who have not. This cross-sectional study utilized data from 9,227 driver’s license holders aged 20 years or older from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KHANES) conducted between 2019 and 2021. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was conducted to investigate the association between experience of DUIA and seatbelt use while adjusting for individual-level covariates. A stratified analysis was conducted based on sociodemographic variables. Finally, a subgroup analysis was performed to examine the association between experience of DUIA and frequency of seatbelt use in each seat type (the driver’s seat, the front passenger seat, and the rear seat). This study showed that having an experience of DUIA is significantly associated with not wearing seatbelts. (aOR, 3.53 [95% CI, 2.55–4.88]). Stratification based on sociodemographic variables showed that one’s job type (pink collar: aOR, 5.67 [95% CI, 2.03–15.88]; blue collar: aOR, 5.35 [95% CI, 3.03–9.47]), and smoking status (current smokers: aOR, 5.67 [95% CI, 2.72–11.82]) increase the prevalence of experience of DUIA. Furthermore, experience of DUIA was associated with an increased prevalence of not wearing seatbelts in all seat types. The prevalence of experience of DUIA can be established as a statistically significant independent predictor of seatbelt usage among Korean adults.