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Prevalence and Perceived Risk Factors Associated With Road Traffic Crashes Among Commercial Drivers in a City in South South Nigeria

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Abstract

Road traffic crash is a major but often neglected public health problem which affects both the occupants of affected vehicles and other road users. This study was carried out to determine the prevalence and perceived risk factors associated with road traffic crashes among commercial drivers in Uyo, Nigeria. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in May, 2016 among commercial motor vehicle drivers in Uyo, Nigeria. Data was collected using interviewer administered semi-structured questionnaire and analysed with IBM SPSS version 20. Level of significance was set at 5%. Atotal of 205 respondents participated in the study: 130 (63.4%) of them were aged less than 40 years. Only 34.6% reported learning how to drive in driving schools. Ninety four (45.9%) respondents admitted to driving even when tired, while 25 (12.2%) reported driving more than 100km/hour on highways. The lifetime prevalence of road traffic crashes was 46.8%, with 25% reporting 3 or more occurrences since onset of driving for commercial purposes. Over speeding, 43.4%, substance use 19% and bad road 15.6% were identified by respondents as the commonest risk factors of road crashes. The drivers who closed later than 8pm were more likely to have accidents compared to those who closed by 5-6pm (OR=3.56; CI=1.36-9.34, p<0.05). Road crashes were common among commercial drivers in this study.Over speeding, late driving and substance use should be discouraged among commercial drivers. Road repairs would also help in reducing road traffic crashes among this group of road users.


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