The use of the police for limited road accident data collection in developing countries

Abstract

The degree of reliability of the police for the collection of basic data on road accidents in Nigeria was ascertained by comparing the data on certain basic road accident features obtained from this source with the accident distributions of a smaller sample using hospital in-patients as sources of information. It was found that, on the whole, a great deal of agreement existed between the two. This goes to confirm the thinking that unless and until there are established in Nigeria—as indeed in other developing countries—special centers for in-depth studies on road crashes, the police remains the only body which, with a little coaching, can be relied on to obtain basic accident statistics on which the much needed counter-measures can be based.