Abstract
IntroductionRoad traffic injury (RTI) has assumed major public health importance world-wide and the burden is heavier on the health-care infrastructure of countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. In Nigeria, RTI is the leading cause of trauma related morbidity and mortality. While there are some published epidemiological reports on RTI in the region, studies on the mechanism of causation of road traffic crashes (RTC) are not available.MethodsOver a 9-month period, we prospectively captured the 571 victims of RTC presenting to a single tertiary health care center in Nigeria. Data collected include demographic data, Mechanism of causation of RTC, Injuries sustained and outcomes.ResultsOver three-quarters of the victims are young people and half were either traders (27.5%) or students (20%). Pedestrians, motorcycle riders and open truck occupants (people sitting at the rear loading compartment of trucks) often had fatal injuries. Analysis of collision patterns showed that lone crashes were the most frequent though car-to-motorcycle crashes caused a quarter of the deaths. Host factors (over-speeding driver, driver misjudgment, sleeping driver etc.) were responsible for four-fifths of the crashes while vehicular and environmental factors accounted for the remaining. On binary regression analysis, head injured victims had higher odds of dying than the non-head injured (Odds ratio = 6.5).ConclusionThis paper elucidates the mechanisms of causation of and types of injuries sustained following RTC in Nigeria and thus provide opportunities for prevention and control of this unacceptable situation.
Highlights
Road Traffic Injury (RTI) has assumed major public health concern as it is responsible for an increasing number of morbidity and mortality
The World Health Organization (WHO) has attributed this increase to rapid urbanization and motorization and has aptly identified RTI as the price humanity must pay for modernization [1]
In Nigeria, published reports suggest that RTI is the leading cause of trauma related morbidity and mortality [2]
Summary
Road Traffic Injury (RTI) has assumed major public health concern as it is responsible for an increasing number of morbidity and mortality. The World Health Organization (WHO) has attributed this increase to rapid urbanization and motorization and has aptly identified RTI as the price humanity must pay for modernization [1]. The cost burden is heavier in developing countries where modernization is approached with inappropriate road engineering and poorly implemented injury prevention programs. Studies on mechanism of causation of RTI are few and far in between [1], ; we evaluated the mechanisms of Road Traffic Crashes (RTC) amongst RTI victims who presented to our hospital with the aim of identifying potential causes and to make appropriate recommendations which should form the basis for improving or fine tuning injury prevention policies
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
