Motorcycle Taxis and Road Safety in Southwestern Nigeria

Motorcycles have become a major form of commercial transportation in Nigeria over the past decade, due in large part to the economic downturn which has placed the purchase and maintenance of new cars and minibuses beyond the grasp of most. The phenomenon began in the towns of Igbo-Ora and Eruwa in southwestern Oyo State, Nigeria around 1989, and has been observed to have important health risks while at the same time providing essential transportation. The study documented 81 road traffic accidents from hospital records in the town of Igbo-Ora in the six months preceding the survey. An observational component of the study documented that only one among 480 motorcyclists observed wore a helmet. Other safety problems included speed, failure to stop at a junction before entering a main road, wearing non-protective light clothing and slippers, carrying in excess of one passenger, and failure to make appropriate turn signals. Older drivers were observed to perform more safety behaviors than younger ones. A total of 267 commercial motorcycle (taxi) drivers (CMDs) were interviewed. Only 31% had some form of license (including learner permits), only 44.2% had seen a copy of the highway code, and 28.1% were reported to have consumed alcohol during short breaks from work. CMDs who had some form of license were older, owned their motorcycle, and had higher safety self-efficacy scores. Those who had seen the highway code, which is published in English, were more educated and had longer years of driving experience, higher safety self-efficacy scores, and greater road safety knowledge. Drinking alcohol during the workday was negatively associated with safety self-efficacy, safety opinion scores, and ownership of the motorcycle. Health education based in the CMD union, school health education, and public advocacy to make consumers/passengers aware of safety issues is recommended.