essay road accident in nigeria

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• v.6(4); Jul-Aug 2016

The Public Health Threat of Road Traffic Accidents in Nigeria: A Call to Action

Noc onyemaechi.

Department of Surgery, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu, Nigeria

1 Department of Critical Care Medicine, Geisinger Medical Center, Danville, PA, USA

Public health experts worldwide concede that there is a global epidemic of road traffic accidents (RTA). Globally, RTA is the leading cause of injury-related deaths. In Nigeria, injuries and deaths resulting from RTA are on the rise and are Nigeria's third-leading cause of overall deaths, the leading cause of trauma-related deaths and the most common cause of disability. Do RTA constitute a public health problem in Nigeria? If so, is there a pragmatic approach to combat this problem? A systematic literature search using the advanced features of various databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Google, and directory of open access journals was carried out using the key words “ RTA, public health problem, government response, Nigeria.” Out of initial 850 articles retrieved from the search 15 articles that suited the study were included in this review. There is need to view RTA s as an issue of urgent national importance that needs urgent attention aimed at reducing the health, social, and economic impact. Policy makers at the various levels of government need to recognize this growing problem as a public health crisis and design appropriate policy responses that will back up with meticulous implementation.

Introduction

According to data recently released by the World Health Organization (WHO),[ 1 ] an estimated 55 million people died worldwide in the year 2011. Of these, 1.3 million were due to road injuries, equating to roughly 3500 each day from road traffic injuries. By these statistics road traffic accidents (RTA) ranked among the top 10 leading causes in 2011, a reality that was not existent a decade ago almost at par with chronic diseases such as HIV/AIDS and diabetes mellitus. By 2030, car accidents will be the fifth leading cause of death in the world, if this trend were to continue.[ 2 ] Globally, RTA is the leading cause of injury-related deaths.[ 3 ]

Public health experts worldwide concede that there is a global epidemic of RTA. The incidence, however, is higher in developing countries.[ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ] According to the WHO, low- and middle-income countries accounted for 92% of road traffic deaths but had only 53% of registered vehicles in 2011. In Nigeria, injuries and deaths resulting from RTA are on the rise,[ 8 , 9 ] and account for the highest proportion of deaths on the Africa continent. Road accidents are Nigeria's third-leading cause of overall deaths, the leading cause of trauma-related deaths and the most common cause of disability.[ 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 ] According to the WHO, the country has 1042 deaths a year for every 100,000 vehicles, one of the highest rates of road fatalities in the world; the equivalent figures for the United States and Britain are 15 and 7, respectively.[ 14 ] Statistics show that there is a rising incidence of RTA in Nigeria and other developing countries with adverse physical and socioeconomic implications. However, there is yet to be a comprehensive and integrated approach to combat this menace. For effective interventions to be developed, the process begins with providing an explicit statement of questions using the PICO model of problem identification, interventions, comparisons, and outcome.

Methods of Literature Search

A web-based literature search using the advanced features of various databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Google, and directory of open access journals was carried out independently by the two reviewers. The key words used were: RTA, public health problem, government response, Nigeria. Only studies published in English before the time of search, September 2014 were included in the study. The search retrieved 850 results. Data from these studies were extracted and assessed for inclusion. The criteria for inclusion in the review were: clinical and epidemiological studies on RTA, studies that focused on road traffic safety and prevention of RTA. A total of 15 articles that suited the study formed the evidence base on which this call for action is founded. In addition to the published articles, 10 website resources were also used. Figure 1 shows the flow chart of the article selection process. The risk of bias of the study was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration's tool for assessment of risk of bias. Table 1 shows the characteristics of the selected studies.

Flowchart of article selection process

Summary of the characteristics of the included articles

Why Does Road Traffic Accidents Deserve the Government's Time, Energy and Focus?

In Nigeria, injuries and deaths resulting from RTA are on the rise and are Nigeria's third-leading cause of overall deaths, the leading cause of trauma-related deaths and the most common cause of disability.[ 11 ] The situation is especially problematic in Nigeria because of poor traffic infrastructure, poor road design, poor enforcement of traffic rules and regulations, a rapidly growing population, and subsequent number of people driving cars. As Nigeria's economy grows, the volume of traffic is expected to rise, from 8 million vehicles in 2013–2040 million by 2020.[ 14 ]

RTA has physical, social, emotional, and economic implications. Fatalities, physical disability, and morbidity from road accidents predominantly affect the young and the economically productive age groups.[ 15 , 16 , 17 ] Survivors often endure a diminished quality of life from deformities and disabilities, posttraumatic stress and lost personal income, in a country not well known for exceptional rehabilitation services. The rest of the populace lives in perpetual and pervasive fear of traveling occasioned by not feeling safe on the roads. The overall effects of these injuries constitute social economic and psychological losses of great magnitudes.

In 2003, the direct global economic cost of RTA was estimated at USD 518 billion/year with USD 100 billion of that occurring in poor developing countries.[ 18 ] The WHO estimates the national cost of RTA to be between 1% and 3% of the gross domestic product.[ 19 ] In Nigeria, about 80 billion naira is lost to RTA annually.[ 20 ] This economic cost includes the cost of property and public amenity damaged, the cost of medical treatment, and the cost of productivity lost due to the accident. This is a huge economic loss particularly for a country plagued with poverty.

Despite the statistics of RTA in Nigeria, it has not received all the attention it deserves. There is need to view RTA as an issue of urgent national importance that needs urgent attention aimed at reducing the health, social, and economic impact. Policy makers at the various levels of government need to recognize this growing problem as a public health crisis and design appropriate policy responses that will back up with meticulous implementation.

Response by the Nigerian Government

Following a critical survey of the increasing burden of RTA on the world economy, the UN general assembly in 2010 adopted a resolution which proclaimed a decade of action for road safety.[ 21 ] The goal of the decade (2011–2020) is to stabilize and reduce the increasing trend in road traffic fatalities, saving an estimated 5 million lives over this period. To guide countries on taking concrete national level actions to achieve this goal, a global plan of action was developed.[ 22 ] This provides a practical tool to help governments develop a national plan of action. National activities should be based on 5 key pillars which include: road safety management, safer roads and mobility, safer vehicles, safer road users, and postcrash response. We will assess the response of the Nigerian government to the public health threat of RTA using these yardsticks.

Road safety management

The government response to road safety management can be evaluated by examining the institutional and legislative frameworks. The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) is the lead agency in Nigeria on road safety administration that was established in 1988. Their statutory functions include: making the highways safe for motorists and other road users; recommend works and infrastructures to eliminate or minimize accidents on the highways and educating motorists and members of the public on road discipline. They also have the mandate to prosecute persons who have committed traffic offenses.

It must be admitted that the FRSC has done a lot of work on road safety campaigns and implementation of traffic safety regulations in Nigeria. Before their establishment, there was no concrete and sustained policy action to address the road safety question. Earlier attempts by some states and other government agencies were isolated and uncoordinated. However, with staff strength of about 18,000 men and officers, it would appear that the commission is currently overwhelmed with the task of keeping Nigerian roads safe. Poor funding, lack of motivation, and corruption are some of the challenges facing the commission. The public awareness and road safety campaigns must be robust and sustained all-round the year and not limited to only festive seasons as is currently the practice. The enforcement of the existing traffic safety laws must be pursued vigorously and offenders severely punished to serve as a deterrent to other road users.

In terms of legislative framework, many traffic safety laws exist in Nigeria, but their enforcement remains poor. Data from the WHO global health observatory repository 2011 show that Nigeria has a seat belt law which is applicable to drivers only.[ 23 ] There is also drink-driving law which is hardly enforced. At present, there is no child restraint law in existence, but there is a national speed limit law for both urban and rural roads of 50 km/hour. A law on the use of motorcycle helmet for all passengers and applicable to all road types exists, but the level of enforcement is very low. There is a need for a child restraint law in Nigeria, and the law on seat belt must be reviewed to apply to all occupants. Above all, the enforcement of all these laws must not be compromised in order to achieve the desired results.

Safer roads and mobility

A journey through the highway and major roads in Nigeria, particularly in the South-Eastern region, reveals that the road infrastructure is in great disrepair.

With a total of road network of 194,394 km, Nigeria has the largest road network in Sub-Saharan Africa. Most of these roads were built more than 30 years ago when the volume of vehicular traffic was low, and there were alternative means of transportation such as railways. However, the rate of increase in vehicular traffic has not been matched with a commensurate rate of road construction.

In addition, with a moribund railway systems and waterways as alternative means of transportation, the burden on the roads has continued to increase as a result of increased motorization. The resultant effect is the breakdown of roads and increased rate of road crashes. The current rehabilitation of road and railways by the government will hopefully create safer roads and open up alternative means of transportation and consequently decrease the rate of road crashes in Nigeria.

Safer vehicles

The use of old and rickety vehicles that are not roadworthy contributes significantly to the rate of road crashes in Nigeria. In 2004, the national vehicle inspection scheme (a component of road transport safety standardization scheme) created by law in the National Road Traffic Regulations was introduced to ensure that only roadworthy vehicles are allowed to ply the roads.[ 24 ] It involves routine vehicle inspection on the highways as well as postcrash inspection. The FRSC and the vehicle inspection officers collaborate in this responsibility. However, the law in its current form applies only to fleet operators, i.e., organizations, companies, government ministries and agencies, and road transport company owners with a minimum of 5 vehicles in their fleet. The smaller transport companies (with <5 vehicles), privately owned vehicles and other means of road transport such as tricycles and motorbikes were not captured in this law. This is a major shortcoming in this law because any unsafe vehicle on the road constitutes a hazard to every road user. It, therefore, requires an urgent review and judicious enforcement with appropriate punishment for erring motorists.

Data from global health observatory repository of the WHO show that Nigeria has an estimated 12.5 million registered vehicles.[ 23 ] This number is very high when compared with the figure from other countries with similar demographic and socioeconomic statistics such as Pakistan and Bangladesh. This figure may be traceable to government's review in 2010 of the ban on importation of used vehicles by increasing the age limit from 10 to 15 years. This policy may have paved the way for the importation of old vehicles that are not roadworthy into the country with consequent increased motorization and increased rate of road crashes. There must be a strict regulation of importation of vehicles in Nigeria to ensure that only safe vehicles are brought into the country.

Safe road users

The awareness and adherence to traffic safety regulation by road users is an important factor in reducing the frequency of RTA. The enforcement of road safety laws like the use of seat belt has been associated with significant reduction in the fatality and severity of injury after a road crash.[ 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ] Although road safety laws exist in Nigeria, the level of implementation by road users is quite low.

There is need to ensure that only drivers who are trained and certified are allowed to drive in Nigeria. Sadly, this responsibility of the FRSC has not been effectively discharged. Individuals are issued driver's license without any certification of their driving competence and fitness to the extent that even blind or lame persons may be in possession of driver's license. The citizens more or less see a driver's license as a tool for identification and not for the purpose for which it is intended. The consequence is that incompetent and unfit persons may be certified to drive and this could spell disaster. Above all, public enlightenment programs aimed at educating road users on the safe use of roads should be vigorously pursued.

Postcrash response

After a road crash, an organized prehospital care, as well as prompt medical attention, has proven to reduce the morbidity and mortality among the victims.[ 30 ] In Nigeria, the state of posttrauma response is very poor.[ 31 , 32 ] Only a few cities such as Abuja, Lagos, and Port-Harcourt have an organized emergency medical service. The FRSC is also ill-equipped to carry out this responsibility.

Solagberu et al.[ 31 ] in their study in Ilorin described a poor state of prehospital care of accident victims in Nigeria. Only 40.4% of the road traffic victims were brought to the hospital by either the Police or FRSC. None of the victims was brought to the hospital with airway protection or support of circulation of equipment. The policy of building so called “Accident Clinics” on the highways by the FRSC for giving first aid to the victims of RTA in our opinion constitutes misplaced priority and waste of resources. These clinics lack the necessary personnel and facilities to care for these victims. These resources could be well utilized in training of their personnel in rescue operations and provision of state of the art equipment for effective emergency medical services.

At the moment, there are only 3 national orthopedic hospitals and one national trauma center in Nigeria. This number is grossly inadequate to cope with the burden of trauma arising from road traffic crashes in a country of approximately 160 million people. There is a need for the establishment of more trauma centers dedicated to trauma care. In fact, all the tertiary health institutions in the country should be designated national trauma centers and subsequently equipped for effective trauma care services. This will help to provide the much needed posttrauma care to the rising number of RTA victims.

In addition, healthcare should be made easily accessible to all citizens of Nigeria through a comprehensive health insurance scheme. This will enable RTA victims to access healthcare without having to pay by “out of pocket” method for their treatment, a practice which has compelled the poor victims to seek alternative care from the traditional bonesetters with attendant complications.

What Can Physicians Do? the Public Health Approach

Complex problems require well thought out and methodical solutions. In the health domain, solutions to public health problems deserve to be approached from a public health perspective. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describe the public health approach as a four-step model: define the problem, identify risk and protective factors, develop and test prevention strategies, and ensure widespread adoption of effective programs.[ 33 ] The public health approach has resulted in a successful reduction in motor vehicle deaths in developed countries.[ 34 ]

Defining the problem

Despite Nigeria's high burden of RTAs, defining the full magnitude of the problem has been hampered by a lack of systematic information and robust empirical scientific data. There is very limited information on national patterns, distribution, and outcomes of RTAs across the country. For many published studies relating to RTAs in Nigeria are limited to single hospital or urban settings.[ 15 , 35 , 36 ] Even the statistics of Nigerian deaths from RTAs provided by the WHO are hugely approximated.

Lack of systematic data generation mechanisms both at the national and state level leads to limitations in designing appropriate intervention strategies to deal with the problem in the country. Nigeria does not have an established national traffic accident database. There is no framework for accurate reporting of road traffic incidents, involved casualties, the probable physical and environmental determinants of each accident, where they occurred, under what circumstances. These are crucial and important scientific data elements that constitute a trauma database.

Adopting a public health approach with a view to tackling Nigeria's RTA burden mandates the creation of data systems that provide detailed, robust, consistent, and comparable information across accident sites nationwide over time. Analyses of such data will be crucial for highlighting the problem and for developing, testing, targeting, and evaluating interventions. Research efforts must also be channeled toward improving our understanding of the societal implications of the social and economic consequences of deaths, injuries and long-term disabilities from RTAs.

Physicians have a role and responsibility to protect and safeguard health. The health of the public is not an exception to this role. Worldwide, physicians have been at the frontline of public health advocacy with respect to health promotion strategies such as smoking bans, seat belt use, and other aspects of road injury mitigation. Nigeria is Africa's most populous country and our raw RTA statistics are pretty much unacceptable. As a matter of urgency, Nigeria's physician bodies should initiate advocacy efforts directed at engaging the Ministry of Health, nongovernmental organizations, other health-care providers, industry and other stakeholders toward efforts geared at establishing a national trauma database for systematic data generation and creation of a national platform to aggregate research inputs and resources. These efforts must be simultaneously accompanied by intensified and refocused efforts by the government and other stakeholders at other interventions to mitigate the problem of RTAs, including mass safety awareness and educational initiatives targeted at key demographic groups, improvements in access to healthcare and in trauma management systems to reduce the intensity of injuries suffered by the victims. According to the WHO, low- and middle-income countries account for 92% of road traffic deaths worldwide. Nigeria has only been used as a case study to exemplify the burden of RTA. Therefore, many of the features raised in this call for action are applicable to other low-income countries.

There is an increasing burden of RTA and injury-related deaths globally. Nigeria has one of the highest rates of road traffic fatalities in the world. The response of the government in controlling this scourge has been inadequate. By taking a public health approach to the prevention of RTA, we have the opportunity to have a broader influence on the physical, social, emotional, and economic manifestations of this scourge. We can use data generated systematically to identify the burden and risk factors, design and test interventions that will address these, and then translate the interventions for implementation in the community.

Financial support and sponsorship

Conflicts of interest.

There are no conflicts of interest.

• Open access
• Published: 06 November 2023

A comparative analysis of road and vehicle qualities as factors of road traffic carnage in Nigeria

• Onyenekenwa Cyprian Eneh   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-2635-5569 1 ,
• Andy Okosun 2 ,
• Idu R Egbenta 3 ,
• Nicholas I Obi 4 ,
• Martin C Oloto 1 ,
• Obinna Ubani 2 ,
• Chinemelum A Eneh 5 &
• Cosmas I Eneonwo 6  

BMC Public Health volume  23 , Article number:  2173 ( 2023 ) Cite this article

1470 Accesses

1 Citations

Metrics details

Background and objective

Carnage on roads is a growing concern in Nigeria. Over 27 persons, equivalent to more than 4 families, die daily from road traffic crashes. Two direct factors of a road crash are road quality and vehicle quality. To interrogate and compare both factors to road traffic accidents, the longitudinal study regressed secondary data on death tolls against road quality and vehicle quality.

Materials and methods

Data on the estimated number of vehicles imported into Nigeria (1992–2021) served as the indicator of vehicle quality on Nigerian roads. The longitudinal study regressed secondary data on death tolls (2013–2019) against road quality (2006–2019) and vehicle quality (1992–2021).

Results showed that road quality is degenerating as well as vehicle quality in Nigeria, resulting in increase in the number of road traffic crashes and the attendant death tolls. For every 1% decrease in road quality, death tolls from road traffic crashes in Nigeria increased by 0.00642% at 5% significance, and for every decrease in vehicle quality, death tolls from road traffic crashes in Nigeria increased by 0.327% at 5% significance.

The study recommended increased advocacy on the sanctity of life and the need for all tiers of government to prioritize policy and implementation of improving the road quality and vehicle quality to reduce road traffic crashes and save lives on Nigerian roads.

Significance

Growing road traffic crashes account for the death of more than 4 Nigerian families daily. This study analyzed road and vehicle qualities as the major factors of the carnage on Nigerian roads. Findings showed that degenerating road and vehicle qualities are majorly responsible for increase in number of road traffic crashes and attendant death tolls. The study is significant in highlighting the need for increased advocacy on the sanctity of life and the need for tiers of government to prioritize policy and its implementation to improve the road and vehicle qualities to reduce road traffic crashes and save lives and valuable resources in Nigerian.

Peer Review reports

Introduction

Transport, which serves to convey people and goods from one place to another, is an important element in economic development and a keystone of civilization. Transport provides or improves access to different locations for people and businesses. It facilitates social and economic interactions. Road transport dominates other modes of movement in Nigeria. Rail transportation dwindled and air transport is unaffordable to the poor masses in Nigeria. Waterways are neglected and poorly spread for inland transportation, and leaders are playing politics with the development of seaports [ 1 ].

With a population of 200 million people and an average family size of 6 persons, Nigeria has over 33 million families. There are 1.7 million vehicles in Nigeria, with one vehicle serving over 117 people. Therefore, roads are very essential in Nigeria. Yet, most of them are in poor shape and conditions, inaccessible, too narrow, not developed, and full of potholes. Streets lack functional light for plying the roads at night [ 2 , 3 ].

Brand-new vehicles are unaffordable to individuals because of galloping inflation and the dwindling exchange rate against the Naira. Only the government affords new vehicles; individual Nigerians have resorted to second-hand ( tokumbo ) vehicles. Before their importation into Nigeria, the vehicles had been involved in serious accidents and adjudged as irreparable by insurance companies. They are shipped to developing countries, including Nigeria, where they are refurbished and sold as tokumbo. These poor-quality vehicles reduce vehicle quality on Nigerian roads. The more they are in number, the lower the vehicle quality plying Nigerian roads. Poor road quality and poor vehicle quality combine to form the direct factors of road crashes, which have become growing public health hazards and environmental health risks that inflict deaths, disability and financial burdens. Consequently, socio-economic activities and development limp. Poor road quality and poor vehicle quality combine to cause most road crashes which are the leading cause of death in adolescents and people in their prime age in Nigeria [ 4 ].

Road crashes and attendant death tolls occur at an alarming rate in Nigeria. In 6 months (October 2017 to March 2018), about 2,600 Nigerians died in road traffic accidents. Twenty thousand (20,000) vehicles are involved in road traffic accidents every day in Nigeria, leading to a loss of more than 27 lives or more than 4 families daily to road traffic accidents alone [ 5 ].

The proportion and an absolute number of traffic fatalities witness an upsurge in several developing countries, but there is a downward trend in industrialized nations. The differential is more than 20% [ 1 ]. There was about 37 road traffic crashes every day in January-March 2022 in Nigeria. Road traffic carnage rose by 21.9% between 2014 and 2015, 2.6% between 2016 and 2017 and 1.66% between 2018 and 2019 [ 6 ]. There is a similar rising trend in road traffic deaths in Nigeria 7% between 1990 and 1992, 6.1% between 1993 and 1996, 5.6% between 1997 and 1999, 2% between 2000 and 2001, 5.3% between 2002 and 2005, 3.15% between 2006 and 2011, 2% between 2012 and 2014, and 1.4% between 2015 and 2017. Although there was a 1.82% decrease in the number of crashes in October-December 2021, the number of lives lost to road crashes January-March period of 2022 increased by 11.02%. A total of 3,345 road crashes were recorded between January and March 2022, giving an average of 37 road crashes per day. There is a 1.33% rise in the number of roads crashes January-March 2022. About 26% of the 3,345 road crashes recorded between January and March of 2022 were classified as fatal cases, 62.8% were serious cases, and only 374 (11.2%) of the cases were categorized as minor. Nigeria lost a total of 1,834 lives to road traffic crashes between January and March 2022. Male adults accounted for 77.8% of this figure, while female adults were 15.2%. More female children were killed than male children. By way of comparison, 1,652 lives were lost to road crashes between October and December 2021, while 1,834 lives were lost between January and March 2022 – indicating an 11.02% increase in lives lost to road traffic accidents in the succeeding quarter. And, the number of lives lost to road crashes in the January-March 2022 period is higher than those of every quarter of 2021. From the more than 11,800 road traffic casualties that occurred in Nigeria during the fourth quarter of 2021, about 10,200 were injured, while 1,700 were registered deaths [ 7 ].

The estimated number of used vehicles imported into Nigeria, as an indicator of vehicle quality, decreased by 73% from 110,715 to 1992 to 30,000 in 1994, increased further by 1,173% from 7,858 to 1997 to 100,000 in 2001, and increased further by 7,506% from 69,411 to 2016 to 760,543 in 2021 [ 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 ] (Table  1 ). This showed that vehicle quality degenerated as the number of imported used vehicles increased.

Accidents do not just happen, but they are caused. Two direct factors of road crashes are road quality and vehicle quality. 95% (95%) of second-hand vehicles imported into Nigeria are “accidented” vehicles [ 13 ]. Other causes are lack of proper driving education and poor driving behaviour, overload, speed, drunken driving, failure to use provided safety devices, inclement weather, poor vehicle maintenance, dangerous and reckless driving or road violation, fatigue, and use of mobile driving devices and gadgets while driving [ 3 , 14 , 15 ]. This situation, which gives cause for worry, prompted the longitudinal study which set out to regress death tolls from road traffic crashes against road quality and vehicle quality to establish and compare the involvement of both factors in road traffic accidents and the resultant carnage on Nigerian roads.

The study also aimed to update information on older studies. It analyzed current data on road and vehicle qualities as the major factors of the carnage on Nigerian roads. It highlighted the need for increased advocacy on the sanctity of life and the need for all tiers government to prioritize policy and its implementation to improve the road and vehicle qualities to reduce road traffic crashes and save lives and valuable resources in Nigeria.

The data on road quality were sourced from University of Oxford [ 5 ] and Nigeria Customs [ 7 ]. Data on death tolls and the estimated number of vehicles imported into Nigeria (1992–2021) were sourced from Statistica [ 8 ]; NBS [ 9 ]; Ukonze, Nwachukwu, Mba, Okeke & Jiburum [ 10 ]; Saleh [ 11 ], Green-Simms [ 12 ]; Fisa, Musukuma, Sampa et al. [ 13 ] and Azami-Aghdash, Sadeghi-Bazarghani, Heydari, Rezapour & Deralkhshani [ 14 ] as an indicator of vehicle quality on Nigerian roads.

Source: University of Oxford [ 5 ] and Nigeria Customs [ 6 ].

Regression analysis

The longitudinal study regressed death tolls (2013–2019) against road quality (2006–2019) (Table  2 ) and vehicle quality (1992–2021) (Table  3 ). To investigate the relationship between the variables, secondary data on death tolls were regressed against road quality and against vehicle quality at 5% level of significance. According to Taylor [ 14 ], regression analysis estimates the relationships between dependent and independent variables. It is useful for modeling, forecasting and extrapolating the future relationships between the variables. It can be a simple linear regression (SLR), multiple linear regression (MLR) or non-linear regression (NLR), with SLR and MLR being the most common. NLR takes care of datasets with non-linear relationship.

A correlation analysis measures the degree of association or strength of relationship among variables and reveals the patterns within a dataset. The end result in is in numerical output between − 1 and + 1. Results close to + 1 indicate a positive correlation. Results close to -1 indicate a negative correlation. A positive correlation means that as a variable increases, the other increases also. A negative correlation means that as a variable increases, the other decreases. An output near 0 indicates a less meaningful relationship between the variables [ 15 ].

Results and discussion

From Table  4 , the R-squared value of 66.06% (Prob > F = 0.0175) showed that the model was statistically significant.

Table  5 showed that for every decrease in road quality, estimated road deaths increased by 0.18642%, and this was significant at 5%. This confirmed the report of Onyemaechi & Ofoma [ 4 ] on increasing rates of incidence, morbidity and mortality of road traffic accidents due to the poor state of the roads which have not received the warranted attention in Nigeria. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death in adolescents and people in their prime age. While the Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIOs) accost and impound vehicles for road-unworthiness, no body or institution is held responsible for roads that are not vehicle-worthy. Political representatives of the people are not held accountable for bad roads that rather destroy vehicles and lives than be vehicle-worthy. As a resource-dependent country, Nigeria has political leaders who do not need to tax their citizens because of a guaranteed source of income from natural resources. On the other hand, accountability is not demanded from the leaders for poor services to citizens by the leaders. If the citizens complain, money from the natural resources enables governments to pay for armed forces to keep the citizens in check in repressive, corrupt and badly-managed manner that mostly involve human right abuse [ 16 ]. The finding also falls in line with the submission of Oyeyemi & Agumbiade [ 5 ] that successive governments in Nigeria had failed to fix the death traps called roads, bringing so much pain to road users. It also confirmed the report of Azami-Aghdash, Sadeghi-Bazarghani, Heydari, Rezapour & Deralkhshani [ 17 ] on the rising trend of road traffic carnage from 4,430 to 2014 to 5,400 in 2015, from 5,049 to 2016 to 5,181 in 2017, and from 5,483 to 2018 to 5,574 in 2019. The finding also tallies with the earlier report of Smith, Cambiano, Colbourn, Collins, Graham, Jewell, Lin, Mangal, Manthalu, Mfutso-Bengo, Mnjowe, Mohan, Ngambi, Philips, Revill, She, Sundet, Tamuri, Twea & Hallet [ 1 ] that the proportion and an absolute number of traffic fatalities witness an upsurge in several developing countries, but a downward trend in industrialized nations, with more than a 20% differential.

Table  5 also showed that, for every 1% decrease in the quality of vehicles, estimated road deaths increased by 0.327% at 5% significance. This confirmed the reports of Dataphyte [ 18 ], Autojosh [ 19 ], Isa & Sivan [ 20 ], Ayetor, Mbonigaba, Sackey & Andoh [ 21 ] and Gopalakrishnan [ 22 ] on increasing rates of incidence, morbidity and mortality of road traffic accidents due to low-quality vehicles especially tokunbo or second-hand vehicles which constitute over 95% of “accidented” vehicles (previously involved in terrible accidents), leading to being so badly damaged that insurance companies adjudged them irreparable. Every year, hundreds of thousands of them are shipped into Nigeria from the United States of America, Italy, Canada, Belgium and Germany. In a country with soaring inflation and dwindling Naira value, only the government can afford brand-new vehicles, while individuals go for tokumbo vehicles and internet-enabled gadgets [ 17 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ].

By way of comparison, for every decrease in road quality, estimated road deaths increased by 0.18642%, whereas for every 1% decrease in the quality of vehicles, estimated road deaths increased by 0.327%. Therefore, deteriorating vehicle quality results in higher road traffic death tolls than a corresponding decrease in road quality.

Death tolls from road traffic crashes have serious consequences in terms of depleting present and future manpower and occasioning profound social challenges. Breadwinners have been lost to road traffic crashes, throwing the family into poverty, jeopardizing the chances of good child upbringing and of obtaining sound education and/or stressing the social family network or African extended family system. Heavy financial costs are usually incurred from road crashes by way of repairing the damaged vehicles, treatment of injuries, and burial of deceased victims, as well as over-tasking already distressed health facilities [ 1 ].

The quality of roads dwindles in Nigeria. Besides, vehicle quality degenerates since second-hand vehicles (or tokumbo mostly “accidented”, that is, previously involved in a terrible accident and adjudged irreparable by insurance companies) replace the choice of new vehicles which have become unaffordable amid towering inflation and lowering poor exchange rate for Naira. A combination of these factors is the direct cause of unacceptable levels of increase in the number of road traffic crashes and the attendant very high death tolls. Deteriorating vehicle quality results in higher road traffic death tolls than the corresponding decrease in road quality.

Accidents can be prevented by tackling these chief factors, which have not received the warranted attention by the federal, state and local governments. There is a need for increased advocacy on the sanctity of life. There is, also, the need to draw the attention of governments towards addressing the policy enactment and implementation for the improvement of road quality and vehicle quality to reduce road traffic crashes and save lives on roads.

Data Availability

Materials and data embedded in this work are available from the corresponding author on request at a reasonable time.

Code Availability

Materials and data are in Microsoft Word with custom code.

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Onyenekenwa Cyprian Eneh & Martin C Oloto

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Chinemelum A Eneh

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OC Eneh conceptualized the study and wrote the manuscript. CA Eneh sourced and analysed datasets. A Okosun, IR Egbenta, NI Obi, MC Oloto, O Ubani and CI Eneonwo peer-reviewed the revised manuscript.

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Eneh, O.C., Okosun, A., Egbenta, I.R. et al. A comparative analysis of road and vehicle qualities as factors of road traffic carnage in Nigeria. BMC Public Health 23 , 2173 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-17089-2

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Decreasing Trends in Road Traffic Injury Incidence and Mortality in Nigeria: A Ten-Year Analysis

Affiliations.

• 1 UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas. Electronic address: [email protected].
• 2 Federal Ministry of Health, Maitama, Abuja, Nigeria.
• 3 Taybah for Healthcare Consulting, Inc, Frisco, Texas.
• 4 UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas.
• PMID: 31982548
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jss.2019.11.033

Background: Road traffic accidents constitute a significant public health burden in Nigeria. In this study, we aim to (1) characterize the temporal burden of road traffic injury (RTI) and mortality rates in Nigeria over a decade, (2) identify regional RTI incidence, mortality trends, and high-risk regions, and (3) assess the impact of state population on injury and mortality.

Materials and methods: We retrospectively reviewed aggregate state-level RTI incidence and mortality counts reported by the Federal Road Safety Corps from January 2001 through December 2010. We also reviewed population data from the National Population Commission. In addition to national analyses, regional analyses were performed in Nigeria's six geopolitical zones and one Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Regression analysis was also performed to determine the relationship between population and RTI incidence and mortality.

Results: The national median RTI incidence and mortality rates declined by 53% and 75%, respectively, between 2001 and 2010. Analysis by geopolitical zone yielded the greatest increases for both injury and mortality in the FCT and the greatest decreases for both in the South-South region. The average geopolitical zone, apart from the FCT, experienced a 24% decrease in the incidence rate and a 69% decrease in the mortality rate. An analysis of variance, run to assess potential differences in RTI incidence and mortality rates by state population, yielded significant values of P = 0.0023 for injury and P = 0.0002 for mortality.

Conclusions: Acknowledging the potential for underreporting, a more holistic surveillance approach would generate more accurate data for future policy creation to improve clinical outcomes.

Keywords: Decade; Incidence; Mortality; Nigeria; Road traffic injury.

Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Road Traffic Accidents in Nigeria: A PublicHealth Problem

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23 Citations

Effectiveness of communication tools in road transportation: nigerian perspective, road traffic accidents in nigeria: causes and preventive measures., the impact of traffic sign deficit on road traffic accidents in nigeria, geographic analysis of road accident severity index in nigeria, decreasing trends in road traffic injury incidence and mortality in nigeria: a ten-year analysis., pedestrian injuries and fatalities by patterns in reported road traffic crashes--islamabad., criminal activities and road accidents in nigerian transport industry, analysis of road traffic accidents trend in ghana : causing factors and preventive measures, the epidemiology of road traffic accidents and associated factors among drivers in dilla town, southern ethiopia, prevalence of traumatic injuries visiting the emergency department of a regional university teaching hospital in nigeria.

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Road traffic accidents: a major public health problem in nigeria., trends and characteristics of road traffic accidents in nigeria, the burden of road traffic injuries in nigeria: results of a population-based survey, socioeconomic impact of road traffic injuries in west africa: exploratory data from nigeria, prevention and control of road traffic accidents in nigeria, predictors of road traffic accident, road traffic injury and death among commercial motorcyclists in an urban area of nigeria., road traffic injuries in developing countries: a comprehensive review of epidemiological studies, a review of types of injuries sustained following road traffic accidents and their prevention, mortality patterns in the accident and emergency department of an urban hospital in nigeria., road traffic accident trends in nigeria, related papers.

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Road Traffic Accidents in Nigeria: A Public Health Problem

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Road Traffic Accidents in Nigeria: Causes and Preventive Measures.

Road accidents have become a normal and re-occurring phenomenon in Nigeria which constitutes a menace in modern times. Although both the developed and developing nations of the world have suffered from varying degrees of road accidents, the developing countries clearly dominates with Nigeria having the second highest rate of road accidents among 193 ranked countries of the world. Deaths from reckless driving are the third leading cause of death in Nigeria. In 2012, at least 473 persons died from a total of 1,115 vehicular accidents nationwide. Already in 2013, April may go down as the worst month in terms of road accidents as according to reported cases, April 3, 2013: A luxury bus and a smaller bus crashed on the Abuja-Lokoja Road, 18 died. April 5, 2013: A petrol tanker set luxury bus and articulated vehicle ablaze at Ugbogui village on Ore-Benin Expressway, 80 people were burnt beyond recognition. April 6, 2013: At Dazigan, 11 kilometers from Potiskum, Yobe State, 20 died in an accident. April 11, 2013: 10 died on the Damaturu-Gashua Road also in Yobe State. April 14, 2013: Seven died on the Abuja-Lokoja Road, a car ran into an articulated vehicle. April 15, 2013: Five died on the Asaba-Onitsha Expressway. By the middle of April, 142 people had died from reported motor accidents, 30 per cent of the 473 deaths recorded in 2012 had been covered in only 15 days! There could be more unreported cases, and as often happens, some of the injured die without making the statistics. This paper examines road traffic accident problems in Nigeria. The causes of accidents and their general preventive measures are discussed. A review of literature on road traffic accidents and it impact was done. The articles were accessed from public libraries, as well as online through internet search engines and relevant information extracted. There is need to view road traffic accident as a very serious issue requiring urgent attention aimed at preventing untimely deaths, reducing the health, social and economic impacts it portends to the average Nigerian.

Keywords: Road traffic accident, Nigeria, Vehicle, Causes, Preventive measures.

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Causes of road accidents and solutions in Nigeria

Today, let’s talk about the causes of road accident in Nigeria and how they can be prevented. You might be surprised, but some of the causes can easily be remedied even without spending lots of money on restructuring the whole system of road safety. So check this article out and learn how you can make the road safer for yourself and others.

Photo: chevinfleet.com

Road accidents causes

So what are some of the most frequent causes of road accidents in Nigeria? While there are many, we have decided to focus on seven that happen most often and cause the most harm. Here they are:

• Going over the speed limit. As in most other countries that suffer from high numbers of road accidents, probably the most prominent cause of trouble on the road is exceeding the speed limit. It is said that over 50% of all crashes in the country are due to this particular factor. There is a reason they say ‘slow and steady wins the race’, as when you try to reach somewhere quickly by going over the limit, you might end up crashing and end up being late, or worst, not even reaching your destination.
• Poor condition of roads. Sometimes, even if you abide by all the rules and drive as carefully as you can, you risk getting into an accident because of many holes in the road. A lot of roads in Nigeria are in terrible state, and the further you get from the big cities, the worse they become. The situation is not helped when this cause is combined with the first one, as potholes and high speed are a recipe for disaster.
• Overloading. While this is more common for commercial vehicles, some of the regular drivers are also guilty for loading their vehicles with more stuff than they can handle. This results in decreased maneuverability, which means that it gets harder to get out of the harm’s way in time. Moreover, it is very harmful for the car in general, which might cause it to malfunction out of the blue in the future.
• Bad weather. This is probably one of the most understated reasons for road accidents. A lot of people do not really pay attention to the weather outside when they go for a drive, thus not accounting for, for instance, the slippery roads or other factors that might seem unimportant. Therefore, if a cautious situation arises, they might have trouble getting out of it unscathed, as they might not be able to notice something is wrong until it is too late.

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• Poor vehicle maintenance. It might surprise you just how many people get on the road when their car is in no condition to do so. While some of the car issues might not go beyond aesthetics, some might be driving without realizing that their brakes are not working. This endangers both the life of the driver and their passengers, as well as everyone else on the road. Poor condition of a vehicle can cause most harm for vehicles that carry many people or heavy/dangerous loads.
• Fatigue. One of the most frequent causes of road accidents in Nigeria and the world is tired drivers. This is particularly common among the long haul truck drivers, as they often have to travel long distances without much chance to rest. However, regular drivers are also guilty of getting behind the wheel not in their best condition. This might seriously affect their driving skills and cognitive functions, thus causing harm for everyone involved.
• Bad driving habits. Some drivers have no respect for their fellow man when they get on the road. They think that they are always right and the rest are just getting in their way. Moreover, some even get behind the wheel drunk. Such arrogance sometimes leads to dire consequences, as being overconfident in one’s skills might result in a nasty car crash. Therefore, even if you consider yourself to be a top notch driver, it is best to keep your ego in check to assure the safety of others.

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Road accidents prevention

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While some of the causes of road accidents are not easily prevented (for example, you cannot control the weather), there are some solutions that might make Nigerian roads safer for everyone who uses them. Here are some tips that might be able to improve the existing situation:

• Increased personal responsibility. If every person on the road abides by existing rules, so many accidents can be avoided. It costs literally nothing to follow the traffic rules and to be respectful to other people on the road.
• Regular checks of vehicles. It is the responsibility of every driver to keep their car in good condition, but police and other people who are tasked with providing safe conditions for driving should be interested in that as well. For that reason, it would be a good idea to introduce regular car checkups and to encourage drivers to do them as well.
• Road repairs. While it will take a lot of time and money to improve the state of the roads, this will ultimately lower the amount of road accidents exponentially. As long as the roads are in proper condition, everyone will be able to drive more safely and avoid damage to their vehicle and themselves.
• Improved lighting. Some of the roads (particularly in the rural areas) are not only riddled with holes, but also poorly lit. As long as they are properly illuminated, the drivers would be able to see the dangerous areas (and other hazards) beforehand and act accordingly.

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• Tougher control and fines. Due to the fact that many accidents are caused by arrogant drivers that are either too smart for their own good or too drunk, there should be tougher control on particularly dangerous roads, and fines for improper driving should be much more severe. In addition, it should be harder to pay your way out of trouble: three strikes and the driver’s licence is taken away until the driver proves they are capable of driving properly.
• More rest stops for drivers. One of the reasons why so many drivers avoid stopping to rest on their long journeys is because there are no proper stops along their way. As long as there are some rest stops here and there, they should be able to get some rest or at least caffeine, and other people could make sure that they do not get behind the wheel if they are too tired.
• Improved road safety education. We have talked a lot about how drivers are usually the ones responsible for the accidents, but oftentimes pedestrians are not any less guilty. For this reason, schools should have proper road safety classes, so that people can learn how they should behave on the road from young age.

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And here we have covered some of the most prominent road accidents causes and prevention. Hopefully, the situation will get better soon, and all those who find themselves on the road can feel safe and comfortable.

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Source: Legit.ng

Adrianna Simwa (Lifestyle writer) Adrianna Simwa is a content writer at Legit.ng where she has worked since mid-2022. She has written for many periodicals on a variety of subjects, including news, celebrities, and lifestyle, for more than three years. She has worked for The Hoth, The Standard Group and Triple P Media. Adrianna graduated from Nairobi University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in 2020. In 2023, Simwa finished the AFP course on Digital Investigation Techniques. You can reach her through her email: [email protected]

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Man (20s) dies, woman (50s) and child seriously injured in Roscommon crash

A man, aged in his 20s, has died while a woman and child are seriously injured following a two-vehicle crash in Co Roscommon on Tuesday night.

The collision occurred on the R280 at Arigna, Co Roscommon, at approximately 8.20pm.

A male driver (20s) was pronounced deceased at the scene.

A woman, aged in her 50s, and boy were brought to Sligo University Hospital for treatment of injuries believed to be serious but not life-threatening.

The scene is undergoing technical examination by forensic collision investigators. The road remains closed with local diversions in place.

Gardaí are appealing for any witnesses to this collision to come forward.

Any road users who may have camera footage (including dash-cam) and were travelling in the area at the time of the incident between 8pm and 8.30pm, are asked to make this footage available to investigating gardaí.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Castlerea Garda Station on (094) 9621630, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda station.

• Roscommon ,
• fatal crash ,
• Sligo University Hospital ,

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