Abstract
BackgroundRoad traffic injury is one of the persistent public health challenges in most regions of the world, representing substantial human and economic losses. Annually, about 1.25 million lives are lost, whereas 50 million suffer from road traffic injuries globally. It has been shown that over 60% of the reasons for traffic injuries are a risky driving behavior (RDB). Despite the problem’s pervasiveness, there is a paucity of information about level and factors influencing RDB among professional car drivers in Bahirdar city, northwest Ethiopia.MethodsAn institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted from February to March 2016. A systematic random sampling technique was used to select 376 participants. A self-administered driver behavior questionnaire (DBQ) was used for data collection. We performed a binary logistic regression analysis to investigate the associations of variables. Potential confounders were controlled using a multivariable logistic regression model. We ascertained the significance at < 0.05 p value and evaluated strength of associations using crude odds ratios (COR) and adjusted odds ratios (AOR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI).ResultsA total of 361 drivers participated (response rate, 96%). The mean age was 34 (standard deviations ± 7.97) years. The majority, 98.9% (N = 357), were males. The level of risky driving behavior and road traffic crashes were 79.4% (95% CI 75.92, 83.97) and 16.3% (95% CI 15.91, 24.84), respectively. Average monthly salary [AOR 2.04; 95% CI (1.23, 2.74)], driving experience [AOR 2.72; 95% CI (1.07, 6.89)], distance driven per year [AOR 2.06; 95% CI (1.13, 4.10)], and previous history of involvement in traffic crashes [AOR 2.30; 95% CI (1.15, 7.35)] were significantly associated with risky driving behavior.ConclusionsThe study shows that risky driving behavior is common among professional car drivers in the study setting. Therefore, it is strongly advisable for policy makers and other stake holders to devise strategies that consider working conditions, like monthly salary and driving experiences. The study also suggests that it is often advisable to reduce the distance driven per year and learn from implications of previous history of involvement in traffic crashes.
Highlights
Road traffic injury is one of the persistent public health challenges in most regions of the world, representing substantial human and economic losses
Factors associated with risky driving behavior In a bivariate logistic regression model, age, average monthly salary, driving experience, driving hours per week, distance driven per year, and previous crash involvement were the variables identified as significant factors of risky driving behavior
Risky driving behavior was high among drivers in Bahirdar city
Summary
Road traffic injury is one of the persistent public health challenges in most regions of the world, representing substantial human and economic losses. Road traffic injury (RTI) is the persistent public health challenges in most regions of the world, comprising substantial human and economic losses. Literature report shows that road traffic injury is the eighth leading cause of death worldwide [2]. It overruns costs of healthcare services and imposes an additional burden on public health efforts made to combat chronic and non-chronic diseases [2, 3]. African regions, including Ethiopia, encounter with the highest road traffic fatality rate [6, 7]. Road traffic injuries are often one of the neglected public health problems because in developing countries traffic injuries are usually perceived as diseases of development outcomes [9]
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