Citation

Ipingbemi O. Indian Highw. 2010; 38(3): 41-50.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, Indian Roads Congress)

DOI

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PMID

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Abstract

Road traffic accidents have assumed a dangerous dimension in Nigeria in recent years. It is not only a leading cause of human death in the country, but the magnitude is also worrisome. For instance, between 1960 and 2004, road accidents claimed about 275,000 lives while 829,358 others were seriously injured in 968,650 road accident cases. This is a colossal loss of human resources. Human error (especially over speeding and driver distraction) accounted for over 80% of those cases. Other causes such as poor road and vehicle condition and weather clements are becoming gradually important. A 15 year assessment of before and after the establishment of Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) in 1988 (an organization charged with the responsibility of ensuring safety on Nigerian roads) showed a marked reduction in both road accident casualties and fatality rate. For instance, fatalities decreased by 8.9% while injury came down by 17.3% and road accident cases by 44.6%. However, severity index increased by 64.3% on the average. Using 20 years of panel data, statistical analysis showed a high correlation (F,P<0.05) between population and fatalities and a high correlation (F,P<0.05) between vehicle registration and number of accidents. Results of the regression analysis indicated that annual increase in vehicle registration accounted for over 70% of the variation in the number of accidents. The study concluded that compulsory use of seat belts and helmets, strict enforcement of relevant traffic laws against speeding and drunk driving as well as the deployment of speed and alcohol checks are vital for reducing the spate of road carnage on Nigerian highways.


Keywords: Driver distraction;