Measuring the attitudes of earthquake victims towards road safety after the earthquake: the case of Hatay province

The primary aim of this study is to understand the factors influencing transportation safety during disasters and, in this context, to contribute to the development of road safety strategies. Accordingly, the study examines the effects of the major 2023 Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquake on road-vehicle safety (RVS), passenger and driver conditions (PDC), and post-earthquake awareness (PEA) factors in the province of Hatay, as well as the relationships between these factors. To construct the factor structures, a detailed 71-question survey consisting of open-ended and multiple-choice questions was utilized. The multiple-choice questions were designed in categorical and ordinal scale formats to ensure data suitable for statistical analyses, while the open-ended questions aimed to deeply understand participants' individual experiences and perceptions. For data analysis, descriptive statistics and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) were employed. The fit of the SEM model was validated with high levels of confirmation, as indicated by the RMSEA (0.03588), CFI (0.98267), and TLI (0.97715) values. The results revealed a negative relationship between PEA and RVS (-1.072, p<0.05), a negative relationship between PEA and PDC (-0.595, p<0.05), and a positive relationship between PDC and RVS (+0.842, p<0.05). Additionally, the analysis of open-ended questions provided detailed insights into participants' individual observations, which supported the interpretation of the SEM model results. The findings indicate that the earthquake created complex effects on individuals' perceptions of transportation safety and behavior. However, the observed positive developments in awareness regarding passenger and driver safety could contribute to creating safer driving environments.