Determinants of fatal car accident risk in Finote Selam town, Northwest Ethiopia

Abstract

Background: In the globe, 1.3 million deaths and around 50 million non-fatal injuries were reported. From all deaths, 90% occur in developing countries. Ethiopia is considered as one of the worst countries in the globe where road traffic accident causes a lot of fatalities and injuries of road users every year. The main objective of the study was to identify the main predictors of fatal car accident. Methods: The retrospective research design was applied. 255 records were taken from Finote Selam traffic police office, northwest part of Ethiopia from September 2009 to January 2018. The statistical analysis was performed by using SPSS version 23 software. Chi-square for association test and ordinal logistic regression for predictor identification were used. Results: Age of drivers were the responsible causes of fatal road traffic accident (p-value = 0.033). The more experienced drivers decreased the occurrence of fatal traffic accidents. In addition, increasing vehicle service year reduced the occurrence of accidental death. Besides, the occurrence of fatal car accident in autumn season was 0.44 times less than that of in summer season. Additionally, drivers' educational level was played a crucial role in a road traffic accident. For instance, drivers whose educational level was below 12th grade were the most responsible factor for car accident deaths. What is more, it was seen that drivers who drove their vehicles could minimize the occurrence of fatal traffic accident (p-value = 0.010). Conclusion: In conclusion, fatal road traffic accidents happened due to drivers' lack of sufficient driving experience and low educational level. In addition, driving on weekends and driving on summer season were disclosed as responsible for fatal car accident. Moreover, drivers with younger age and those who drove a new vehicle likely caused fatal car accident. However, drivers who drive their vehicles seemed to be less responsible for fatal car accident than that of employed.

Spatial Distribution of Road Traffic Accident at Hawassa City Administration, Ethiopia

“…Our study results indicate 91.8% of drivers involved in RTAs were males, while females share only 1.7% of the total reported RTA. This finding is in line with findings in previous studies in northern Ethiopia by ( 11 ) which reported that 99.6% of drivers involved in RTAs were male. It also agrees with finding of ( 10 , 12 ) who reported that majority of RTA victims were males in Amhara and Southern National Regional States of Ethiopia.…”

“…Different studies considered driving license ownership as a key determinant of studying RTA ( 11 , 34 , 35 ). As the result shown in Table 1 , 106(25.4%) of RTA was reported from drivers who were driving without license while 48(11.5%) of RTA was reported from drivers had forged or non-equivalent driving license.…”

“…In Ethiopia, which is one of least developed countries in the world, thousands of road users are reported to be killed each year, majority of whom were economically active population ( 2 , 9 ). Rampant reckless driving behavior, poor road network, substandard road conditions, failure to enforce traffic lows and poor vehicle conditions are among major factors contributing to RTA's in Ethiopia ( 1 – 3 , 10 , 11 ).…”

“…The magnitude of the effect of RTAs could be greatly reduced if preventive measures were taken in safety deficient geographical zones ( 11 , 13 ). Geographical information systems (GIS) are a very important and comprehensive management tool for traffic safety.…”

Drinking and Night-Time Driving May Increase the Risk of Severe Health Outcomes: A 5-Year Retrospective Study of Traffic Injuries among International Travelers at a University Hospital Emergency Center in Thailand

“…Male drivers, alcohol/drug use, exceeding the speed limit, under-maintained vehicles, night-time driving, and poor road and traffic management are factors increasing the severity of an event. Using personal restraints (seatbelt/helmet), safer vehicles and improved road hazard treatment are preventive measures during the event; first aid, rescuer skills, and accessibility of rescue teams are preventive measures post-event [ 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 ]. While factors influencing the severity outcome were well-established in previous research, most of the literature only focused on local road users.…”