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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Health implications of knowledge, and
attitudes for road safety and protective
measures among commercial motorcycle
riders in a semi-urban setting in Nigeria
Afelumo, Olaide Lateef; Abiodun, Olaiya P.1; Sanni, Olaniyi F.2
Author Information
MGM Journal of Medical Sciences 8(4):p 361-369, Oct–Dec
2021. | DOI: 10.4103/mgmj.mgmj_59_21
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Abstract
Background:
Knowledge of road safety and preventive measures
effectively reduces accidents associated with
motorcycles. This study aimed to assess the
knowledge and attitudes of motorcycle riders in the
Ado-Odo Ota local government area (LGA) towards
road safety and accident preventive measures.
Materials and Methods:
This study was a descriptive cross-sectional study
that used a structured questionnaire to collect data
related to knowledge of safety measures from the
respondents using a stratified random sampling
technique to identify potential respondents. IBM-
SPSS version 25.0 for Windows IBM Corp., Armonk,
NY, USA, was used for data analysis.
Results:
There were 374 respondents, of which 69.0% owned
the motorcycles, and 31.0% were hired/rented. The
knowledge of road safety and preventive measures
among respondents was generally poor (46.5%).
Rented/hired motorcycle riders displayed better
knowledge (55.2%) than owners (42.6%) (P < 0.05).
Factors associated with knowledge include being
married COR = 2.48 (95% CI = 1.22–5.08; P < 0.05),
secondary/higher education COR = 1.90 (95% CI =
1.19–3.05; P < 0.05), and over 6-year of experience
COR of 1.69 (95% CI = 1.08–2.63; P < 0.05). Motorcycle
owners displayed better attitudes (71.7%) than hired
(57.8%) (P < 0.05). Secondary/higher education COR
1.24 (95% CI = 0.78–1.97; P > 0.05), and good
knowledge COR = 4.15 (95% CI = 2.50–6.91; P < 0.005)
were the determinants of positive attitudes towards
safety measures. The overall prevalence of road
traffic crashes was 45.2%, higher among riders with
insufficient knowledge (47.5%) and negative
attitudes (55.7%) towards safety measures.
Conclusion:
The government and other stakeholders should
organize regular training to improve the riders’
knowledge and attitudes towards road safety and
preventive measures due to the riders’ inadequate
knowledge of safety and protective measures. These
actions will help reduce accident rates and
consequently reduce road traffic crashes’ medical
and economic burdens.
INTRODUCTION
Two-wheeled motorized vehicles, commonly known
as ‘Okada,’ constitute a significant mode of transport
in Nigeria. The use of motorcycles in rural and urban
areas in Nigeria has increased over the past two
decades because they can maneuver between
vehicles in multiple urban road congestion.[1] As a
result, they can easily sail on bad roads and make
livelihoods for the team of unemployed young
people from Nigeria.[2] The risk of fatal and nonfatal
traffic accidents among motorcycles is higher than
in other modes of transport.[3] Globally, road traffic
crashes (RTCs) account for a large proportion of
total morbidity and mortality, 90% of which occur in
developing countries.[3]
According to the World Health Organization (WHO),
[4] RTCs are frequently portrayed in the news as
isolated incidents rather than a significant cause of
death and a massive waste on a country’s human,
health, and financial resources. “By presenting
traffic safety as a health and development issue and
providing statistics and in-depth information,
journalists may impact how these stories are
presented, therefore influencing public behavior
and attitudes, influencing legislation, and thereby
contributing to lifesaving”.[4]
RTCs are public health issues because the citizens,
families, and governments suffer tremendously due
to the resulting fatalities. They impose enormous
pressure on frequently overcrowded health care
systems, occupy limited hospital beds, waste scarce
resources, and result in considerable potential and
prosperity damages, with profound social and
economic consequences.[56]
In Nigeria, around 80% of road traffic accidents
involving motorcycles occur on major highways, with
human error responsible for 82%; most traffic
incidents occur during the day, although more
deaths are registered at night. Studies have argued
that in many countries, young motorcyclists under
the age of 18 years make up a large percentage of
road accidents among road users due to a lack of
proper knowledge, riding when they are under age,
and poor attitudes towards traffic regulations.[78910]
In addition, as motorcyclists ride over the speed
limit recommended, they may lose power, causing
an accident; this emphasizes the need for improved
knowledge and attitudes of motorcycle riders
towards road safety and accident preventive
measures.
This study is important to society, particularly
developing countries, because it shows the
awareness of road safety measures among riders
View full article text
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