Open Access Peer-reviewed Research Article

Road traffic accidents, near-misses and their associated factors among commercial tricycle drivers in a Nigerian city

Article Sidebar

Road traffic crashes and near-miss accidents among respondents
Download PDF
Submitted   Jun 14, 2019
Published   Jun 25, 2019
Issue    Vol 1 No 1 (2020)
DOI   10.25082/HE.2019.01.001

Views

4615

Downloads

1997

Citations

PlumX Metrics

Main Article Content

Ahmed Dahiru Balami corresponding author
Centre for Disaster Risk Management and Development Studies, University of Maiduguri, PMB 1069, Maiduguri, Nigeria
Garba Sambo
Centre for Disaster Risk Management and Development Studies, University of Maiduguri, PMB 1069, Maiduguri, Nigeria

Abstract

Tricycles form an important part of the intra-city transport system, following the ban placed on motorcycles in Maiduguri, Nigeria.  However, no previous studies have been conducted to assess the occurrence of accidents among them. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of road accidents, near-misses, and their associated factors among commercial tricycle drivers in Maiduguri. A cross-sectional study was conducted among registered commercial tricycle drivers in Maiduguri who had been in the business for at least a year. Data was collected through face-to-face interviews, using a structured questionnaire, and was subjected to bivariate and multivariate analysis using SPSS. The prevalence of road accidents and near misses were 46% and 50.3% respectively. Only six (3.9%) of respondents who had experienced a near-miss mentioned that they occurred while they were fully awake; during clear weather; and on a smooth, broad, and non-congested road. All the others had experienced the near miss under an unfavourable weather, road, and/or while feeling sleepy. In the bivariate analysis, only psycho-active substance use (χ2=3.941; df=1; p=0.047) and having experienced more than one near miss (χ2=31.807; df=1; p<0.001) were significantly associated with having an accidents. However, in the multivariate analysis, having experienced more than one near miss was the only factor which significantly predicted having an accident (OR=2.89 95% CI: 1.64-5.09; p<0.001). There is a need to conduct further intervention studies to determine the effectiveness of intervention measures in reducing accident rates among these tricycle drivers.

Keywords
road accident, near-miss, tricycle, vehicular factors, driver factors

Article Details

How to Cite
Dahiru Balami, A., & Sambo, G. (2019). Road traffic accidents, near-misses and their associated factors among commercial tricycle drivers in a Nigerian city. Health and Environment, 1(1), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.25082/HE.2019.01.001
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

References

  1. Nantulya VM and Reich M. The neglected epidemic Road traffic injuries in developing countries. British Medical Journal, 2002, 324: 1139-1141. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.324.7346.1139
  2. Atubi AO. Determinants of road traffic accidents occurrences in Lagos State: Some lessons for Nigeria. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 2012, 2(6): 252-259.
  3. World Health Organization. Global status report on road safety 2013: Supporting a decade of action. Geneva: World Health Organization, 2013.
  4. Sheykh A, Robabeh MA, Mohammad K, et al. Non communicable disease risk factors in Iran. Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2004, 13: 100.
  5. Hazen A and Ehiri JE. Road traffic injuries: hidden epidemic in less developed countries. Journal of the National Medical Association, 2006, 98: 73e82.
  6. Nantulya V and Rerch M. Equity dimensions of road traffic injuries in low and middle - income countries. Injury control and safety promotion, 2003, 10(1-2): 13-20. https://doi.org/10.1076/icsp.10.1.13.14116
  7. Labinjo M, Jullrard C, Kobusingye OC, et al. Socioeconomic impact of road traffic injuries in West Africa: exploratory data from Nigeria. Injury Prevention, 2010, 16: 389-392. https://doi.org/10.1136/ip.2009.025825
  8. Jha M, Carrillo C, Flores M, et al. Risk factors in highway traffic accident cases: A study from South India. Indian Journal of Community Medicine, 2000, 29: 20-24.
  9. Muhlrad N and Lassare S. Systems approach to injury control. New Delhi: Macmillan India Ltd., 2005.
  10. Krug EG, Sharona GK and Lozano R. The global burden of injuries. American Journal of Public Health, 2000, 90: 523- 526. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.90.4.523
  11. Bun E. Road Traffic Accidents in Nigeria: A Public Health Problem. Afrimedic journal, 2012, 3(2): 34-35.
  12. Bekibele CO, Fawole OI, Bamgboye AE, et al. Risk factors for road traffic accidents among drivers of public institutions in Ibadan, Nigeria. African Journal of Health Science, 2007, 14: 137-142. https://doi.org/10.4314/ajhs.v14i3.30860
  13. Akloweg Y, Hayshi Y and Kato H. The effect of used cars on African road traffic accidents: A case study of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. International Journal of Urban Sciences, 2011, 15(1): 61-69. https://doi.org/10.1080/12265934.2011.580153
  14. Gopalakrishnan S. A public health perspective of road traffic accidents. Journal of family medicine and primary care, 2012, 1(2): 144. https://doi.org/10.4103/2249-4863.104987
  15. Filani MO and Gbadamosi KT. Identification of cycles and periodic oscillation of road traffic accidents over Lagos State, Nigeria. International Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 2012, 2(24): 312-327.
  16. Arthur N. A survey of commercial drivers’ perception on the causes of road traffic accidents in Nigeria. Journal of Medicine in the Tropics, 2015, 17(1): 12. https://doi.org/10.4103/2276-7096.148563
  17. Al-Ghaweel I and Saleh P. Factors affecting road traffic accidents in Benghazi, Libya. Journal of Family & Community Medicine, 2009, 16(1):7-9.
  18. Arai Y, Nishimoto T, Ezaka Y, et al. Accidents and Nearmisses Analysis by Using Video Drive-Recorders in a Fleet Test. Proceedings of the 17th ESV conference, Amsterdam, 2001, 01-S4-0-225.
  19. Powell NB, Schechtman KB, Riley RW, et al. Sleepy driver near-misses may predict accident risks. Sleep, 2007, 30(3): 331-342. https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/30.3.331
  20. Hayward JC. Near miss determination through use of a scale of danger. 1972: 24-34.
  21. Phimister JR, Oktem U, Kleindorfer PR, et al. Near-Miss Inident Management in the Chemical Process Industry. Risk Analaysis, 2003, 23(3): 445-495. https://doi.org/10.1111/1539-6924.00326
  22. DfT. Reported Road Casualties 2013. DfT, London, Great Britain, 2014.
  23. Onyemaechi N and Ofoma UR. The public health threat of road traffic accidents in Nigeria: A call to action.Annals of Medical & Health Sciences Research, 2016, 6(4):199-204. https://doi.org/10.4103/amhsr.amhsr 452 15
  24. Waziri M. The Geography of Borno State: An Overview. Issues in the Geography of Borno State, 2009, 1: 6-12
  25. National Bureau of Statistics (2010). The National Literacy Survey.
  26. Johnson OE. Prevalence and pattern of road traffic accidents among commercial motorcyclists in a city in Southern Nigeria. Educational Research, 2012, 3(6): 537-542.
  27. Saw SM and Ng TP. The Design and Assessment of Questionnaires in Clinical Research. Singapore Medical Journal, 2001, 42(3):131-5.
  28. Adoga AA and Ozoilo KN. The epidemiology and type of injuries seen at the accident and emergency unit of a Nigerian referral center. Journal of Emergencies Trauma & Shock, 2014, 7(2): 77-82. https://doi.org/10.4103/0974-2700.130875
  29. Peter P, Molnar L, Eby D, et al. Review of young driver risk taking and its association with other risk taking behaviours. Transportation research institute, 2012, 1: 1-179.
  30. Singh A, Bhardwaj A, Pathak R, et al. An Epidemiological Study of Road Traffic Accident Cases at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Rural Haryana. Indian Journal of Community Health, 2011, 23(2): 53-55.
  31. Pepple G and Adio A. Visual function of drivers and its relationship to road traffic accidents in Urban Africa. Springer- Plus, 2014, 3: 47. https://doi.org/10.1186/2193-1801-3-47
  32. Adejugbagbe AM, Fatiregun AA, Rukewe A, et al. Epidemiology of road traffic crashes among long distance drivers in Ibadan, Nigeria. African Health Sciences, 2015, 15(2): 480-489. https://doi.org/10.4314/ahs.v15i2.22