Prevalence and Associated Factors of Road Traffic Accident Among Taxi Drivers in Bole Sub-City, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: Cross-Sectional Study
Abstract:
Background: Globally, 1.3 million people die of road traffic accidents each year, and as many as 50 million get injured. The burden of road causalities and damage is much higher among developing countries like Ethiopia. Purpose: This Study aimed to assess the prevalence and associated factors of road traffic accidents among Taxi drivers in the Bole sub-city, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Methods: A cross-sectional community-based study was conducted among 406 taxi drivers. The data collected from a structured questionnaire was entered using Epi-data version 3.1 and analyzed using SPSS version 20.
Results: The prevalence of road traffic accidents is 32.8% among drivers in the Bole sub-city, Addis Ababa. Drivers aged 30-38 years, 40-49 years and 50 years and older have a 74%, 88% and 90% lower risk of being involved in RTA than those younger than 30. Vehicles driven more than 5000 km without undertaking regular service and maintenance are at a 2.6 times higher risk of RTA compared to those driven not more than 3000km. Drivers who add extra passengers have a 9.5 times higher risk of RTA compared to those who don’t add extra passengers.
Conclusion: The magnitude of sroad traffic accidents is substantially high among younger drivers. Driving more Distance before vehicle service and adding extra passengers are essential contributors to road traffic accidents. We recommend that the Ethiopian road and traffic authorities implement targeted measures to enable a substantial decrease in the prevalence of road traffic accidents.
