Abstract
Background: Annually, road traffic crash account for more than 1.2 million deaths and up to 50 million injuries worldwide, making it a leading cause of death globally. Given the low rate of vehicle ownership in developing countries, most of the population depends on buses for public transport. In Cameroon, buses are frequently involved in road traffic crashes. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of road traffic crashes and risk factors associated with road traffic crash among bus drivers in the South West Region-Cameroon. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study involving bus drivers with at least 3 years driving experience in passenger transportation. Multi-stage sampling was employed with random selection of six parks from three divisions in the South West Region of Cameroon. Proportionate sampling was done to select the bus drivers at the selected parks. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire. It was inputted and analyzed using EPI info version 3.5.4. Bivariate and multivariate analysis were used to identify risk factors associated road traffic crash history within 3 years prior to the survey with statistical significance set at p<0.05. Results: Out of the total 422 participants recruited, 98 bus drivers reported, giving an overall crash prevalence of 23.2%. Among the crashed group, 72 drivers (12.1%) were involved in more than one crash within the past 3 years (2014-2017). Multivariate analysis showed excessive speed [AOR 6.98 95% CI; 3.7-12.8], drinking alcohol during driving hours [AOR 10.15, 95% CI; 4.7-21.8], phone distraction (AOR=6.48, 95% CI; 3.8-10.8], passenger distraction [AOR 8.77, 95% CI; 4.6-16.2], violating road traffic rules [AOR=2.13, 95% CI; 1.2-3.5] and fatigue [AOR 0.17, 95 & CI; 0.05-.053] as factors that are significantly associated with road traffic crash among bus drivers within the past 3 years (2014-2017). Conclusion: Almost a quarter (23.2%) of bus drivers have a history of road traffic crash within the past 3 years. Many factors have been found to be associated with road traffic crash occurrence among these drivers and these calls for urgent sensitization campaigns, amelioration of road conditions and proper law enforcement on road safety issues.
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