Prevalence of traffic rule infractions in Cali, Colombia, at sites where injury crashes occurred

Abstract

This study aim to determine the proportion of traffic rule infractions in Cali, Colombia, in places where a road traffic injury (RTI) occurred. Description of videotaping of sites where a person was injured in an RTI in 2009. Counts of road users and infractions were established for each road user group and were compared using a Z-test. They were found 13,491 users, distributed as follow: 8.9% were pedestrians, 4.6% cyclists, 24.6% motorcyclists, and 61.8% were automobile drivers. The most frequent traffic violation among motorcyclists was transiting on lines designated for other vehicles (55.2%). Among cyclists, the most frequent violations were transiting without a helmet (99.2%) and not wearing the designated vest (100%). Among pedestrians, crossing streets at prohibited places (77.3%), even at sites where a pedestrian bridge was present (72.7%), represented two common violations. Vulnerable road users committed more traffic infractions than automobile drivers (p < 0.001). High rates of traffic rule infractions among vulnerable road users were observed. Studies to better understand the occurrence of these behaviours and the promotion of effective interventions are warranted.