Abstract

Titus Onyi*

ABSTRACT

Background: Road traffic crashes and injuries mostly affect commercial drivers in Nigeria. These crashes and injuries are common in Bauchi, north-eastern Nigeria, where there is associated huge level of morbidity and mortality. The study examined road traffic accidents and injuries, the perceived causes and safety precaution among commercial drivers in a motor park in Bauchi. Objectives: The study assessed the: frequency of road traffic injuries and the body areas affected; the perceived causes of the road traffic crashes and injuries; the safety precautions among the commercial drivers and the perceived single most important measure to control the road traffic crashes and injuries. Methods: Self-designed interviewer-administered open-ended questionnaires were administered to a randomly selected sample of commercial drivers at Bauchi Central Motor Park. Data was analysed using SPSS version 23 and Microsoft Excel 2013. Results: The respondents (n=103) reported a high occurrence (daily rate of 4.9%) of non-specific (65.0%) road traffic injuries. They reported poor awareness (18.4%) of the recommended speed limit and poor practice of safe driving precautions. They perceived safe road infrastructure (50.5%) more than over speeding (5.8%) as single most important measure to control the crashes and injuries. Conclusion: Road traffic accidents and injuries occurred frequently among the respondents. They reported poor knowledge of the major cause of RTCs and injuries and perceived safe road infrastructure more than control of speeding for the control of these crashes and injuries. Most of them were unaware of the recommended speed limits, and did not practice safe driving precaution. A multi-faceted approach with emphasis on controlling vehicular speed should be utilised to address these gaps and optimize the occupational health of the commercial drivers.