Practice of Safety Measures among Inter-City Commercial Vehicle Drivers in Kwara State, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: The incidence of Road Traffic Crashes (RTC) is rising world-wide, with 1.24 million people killed on the world’s roads in 2010 due to non-compliance with safety measures.The objectives of the study was to determine the practice of safety measures and prevalence of road crashes among inter-city commercial vehicle drivers in Kwara State, Nigeria.

Materials and Methods: It was a descriptive cross-sectional study done by interviewer administered questionnaire and blood alcohol concentration of respondents was determined using Breathalyzers. A total of 410 respondents were involved by multi-stage sampling technique and data analysis was done using EPI INFO version 3.5.1 software package. An appropriate test of significance were used and the level of significance was < 0.05 at 95% confidence level.

Results: There was statistically significant p = 0.057 relationship in good safety practices among drivers in the age group 26-55 years compared with those ≤ 25 years and > 55 years. More respondents who practiced safety measures carried out driving test before issuance of license compared with those who did not (p = 0.001). Some respondents tested positive for alcohol and the mean blood alcohol concentration was 23.28± 23.32µg/dl. About a third of the respondents had experienced road traffic crashes in the past.

Conclusion: The middle age respondents had good safety practices compared with others. Safety practices were influenced by driving test before issuance of license and alcohol intake was a factor in RTC. Orientation of drivers and enforcement of laws are critical in road safety.