Anebonam Uchenna, Okoli Chinedu, Ossai Pius, Ilesanmi Olayinka, Nguku Patrick, Nsubuga Peter, Abubakar Ahmed, Oyemakinde Akin
Nigeria Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programme, Abuja, Nigeria.
Federal Road Safety Commission of Nigeria, Abuja, Nigeria.
Pan Afr Med J. 2019 Jan 25;32(Suppl 1):12. doi: 10.11604/pamj.supp.2019.32.1.13285. eCollection 2019.
Road traffic accidents are leading cause of injuries and deaths globally. Low income economies are the most affected. Most causes of RTA are predictable and preventable. This study describes trends and causes of road traffic accidents in Anambra State, South Eastern Nigeria.
We conducted a retrospective study of road traffic accidents from 2010 to 2014. Data were obtained from the Federal Road Safety Commission, Anambra State Command. Information extracted included sex, age, cause of accidents, number of people and type of vehicles involved. Cases were recorded as fatal if any victim died, serious if any victim was hospitalized for more than 24 hours and minor if any victim was hospitalized for less than 24 hours. Causes of accidents were classified into human, mechanical, and climatic factors. Univariate analysis to generate frequencies and proportions was conducted using Microsoft Office Excel 2007.
A total of 1,141 road traffic accidents consisting 271 fatalities, 652 serious and 218 minor cases were recorded in Anambra State from 2010-2014. Seven thousand, four hundred and forty-four persons involving 1,816 vehicles were involved in RTA that resulted in 448 deaths and 2,785 injuries. More deaths 348 (77%) and injuries 2009 (72%) occurred more in males than females. Major causes of road traffic accidents were loss of vehicle control 256 (17%) and speed violation 207 (14%). There was an increased number of persons involved in RTA in 2014 (1,842) compared with 2010 (299). In all, 3,233 casualties (deaths and injuries) and crashes (fatal, serious and minor) were recorded out of which 900 (27.8%) casualties and 294 (9.1%) crashes occurred in 2013.
Leading causes of road traffic accidents are human factors; speed violation, loss of vehicle control and dangerous driving which are sadly preventable. Sensitization and enforcement of safe road principles among commercial vehicles and car drivers will help curb this menace. Government at all levels should implement strong policies aimed at reducing the speed of vehicles on roads.
道路交通事故是全球伤亡的主要原因。低收入经济体受影响最为严重。大多数道路交通事故的原因是可预测和可预防的。本研究描述了尼日利亚东南部阿南布拉州道路交通事故的趋势和原因。
我们对2010年至2014年的道路交通事故进行了回顾性研究。数据来自联邦道路安全委员会阿南布拉州指挥部。提取的信息包括性别、年龄、事故原因、涉及人数和车辆类型。如果有受害者死亡，则记录为致命事故；如果有受害者住院超过24小时，则记录为严重事故；如果有受害者住院少于24小时，则记录为轻微事故。事故原因分为人为、机械和气候因素。使用Microsoft Office Excel 2007进行单变量分析以生成频率和比例。
2010年至2014年期间，阿南布拉州共记录了1141起道路交通事故，其中包括271起致命事故、652起严重事故和218起轻微事故。7444人涉及1816辆车发生道路交通事故，导致448人死亡和2785人受伤。男性死亡人数348人（77%）和受伤人数2009人（72%）均多于女性。道路交通事故的主要原因是车辆失控256起（17%）和超速违规207起（14%）。与2010年（299人）相比，2014年涉及道路交通事故的人数有所增加（1842人）。总共记录了3233起伤亡（死亡和受伤）和事故（致命、严重和轻微），其中2013年发生了900起伤亡（27.8%）和294起事故（9.1%）。
道路交通事故的主要原因是人为因素；超速违规、车辆失控和危险驾驶，遗憾的是这些都是可以预防的。对商用车和汽车驾驶员进行安全道路原则的宣传和执法将有助于遏制这一威胁。各级政府应实施强有力的政策，旨在降低道路上车辆的速度。
