The Challenge of Road Traffic Accidents in the Third World: The Nigeria’s Experience (1960-2010)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51983/tarce-2012.1.2.2185Keywords:
Highways, Accident, Safety, Third-world regionsAbstract
The incidence of road traffic accident is rising worldwide. However, fatalities from automobile crashes are said to be higher in developing countries where the number of motor vehicles relative to the population is generally much lower than in the developed countries. The paper examines the rising tide of carnage on the highways in the third world countries but particularly in Nigeria. In carrying out the detailed study, road traffic accident data (1960-2010) in Nigeria were obtained from the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC). Additional relevant information and data were generated from other stakeholders such as the police and hospital sources as well as the accident victims (motorists/commuters). The data was analysed using the least square method. The equation of the trend line for casualty cases was computed. The regression coefficient shows that there has been an upward trend in accident casualty between 1960 and 2010. Accidents on the country’s highways are caused by several and diverse factors including roads in dangerously poor conditions, poor maintenance of vehicles, indiscipline on the parts of motorists/motorcyclists and other road users, ignorance of highway code on the part of a large proportion of Nigerian drivers and corruption by some traffic law enforcement agencies. The paper recommends some measures that can ensure effective and sustainable accidents reduction on the country’s highways.
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