Lived experiences of inter-urban commercial bus drivers involved in road traffic crashes in Central Region, Ghana

Thomas Ojo,William Agyemang,Francis Afukaar

doi:10.1080/21650020.2018.1545601

Abstract

ABSTRACTInterurban commercial bus drivers are confronted with inherent risk of over speeding, road curvature, road geometry, and weather condition predisposing them to Road Traffic Crashes (RTCs). Lived experiences of inter-urban commercial bus drivers involved in RTCs in Ghana remains relatively underreported. This relates to their experiences and opinions on the causes of RTCs and the post-experiences as survivors. This paper is an exploratory qualitative study involving face-to-face in-depth interviews with 15 interurban commercial bus drivers who survived RTCs and still drive. The sample was a mix of purposive and snowball sampling techniques at the terminals/stations of interurban commercial bus drivers in Cape Coast, the Capital city of Central Region. The analysis revealed environmental factors (such as weather condition, road surface, road curvature) accounted for the RTCs. Survivors received poor pre-hospital trauma care and no welfare package. Measures to RTCs could include road/transport infrastructure improvements and survivors are to be provided with social welfare package.

Highlights

Road Traffic Injuries (RTIs) rank as the eight leading cause of death and account for the majority of deaths for young people aged 15–29 (Murray, Ehlers, & Mayou, 2002)
‘I was once involved in an Road Traffic Crashes (RTCs) where there are sharp curves coming from Accra approaching the Gomoa Axis of the highway’ (A 37 years old married driver with 13-year driving experience)
This study showed that the drivers felt that there was a preponderance of environmental factors contributing to RTCs

Summary

Introduction

Road Traffic Injuries (RTIs) rank as the eight leading cause of death and account for the majority of deaths for young people aged 15–29 (Murray, Ehlers, & Mayou, 2002). According to the WHO (2015) report, eighty eight countries have reduced the number of deaths on their roads with RTDs still unacceptably high at more than 1.2million annually. The highest of these RTDS are in the low and middle income countries in Africa. Road Traffic Injuries and Deaths(RTI&Ds) cause economic losses of up to 5% of Gross Domestic Product in low and middle-income countries (WHO, 2015). Poor enforcement of Road Traffic Regulations is considered to account for high burden of RTCs in low and medium-income countries in general and Ghana in particular as well as the growth in the numbers of motor vehicles

Results

Discussion

Conclusion