The Silent Contributors: A Qualitative Study to Bridge the Gap between Driver Behavior and Systemic Issues Interactions to Crashes

Abstract

Road Traffic Crashes (RTCs) disproportionately impact Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). Current interventions in LMICs primarily target road user behavior, neglecting systemic issues and casting drivers as mere contributors. Given the unique cultural, financial, and social intricacies in LMICs, this study aims to explore the latent causes of RTCs, prioritizing drivers' experiences and encompassing insights from various traffic system components. Applying a qualitative approach, data were collected through 46 semi-structured interviews with 38 participants, including drivers and experts from traffic-related organizations. Content analysis identified ten themes as contributing to driving errors. Direct factors included fatigue influenced by economic and occupational conditions, distraction from internal and external sources, reckless behaviors influenced by traffic culture and environment, and Inadequate driving skills due to training. Macro-scale challenges in road infrastructure, vehicle quality, education, and accident investigations were highlighted. The lack of a centralized traffic safety authority and a predominant focus on penalizing drivers overshadowed systemic issues. The study offers valuable insights into the complex interplay of factors contributing to driving errors in LMICs, advocating for a paradigm shift towards holistic, systemic interventions beyond individual driver behavior and challenging the conventional blame-centric view associated with driving errors.