Abstract
Although road users are aware of the possible risks of engaging in unsafe behaviors while driving, they continue to do so. These behaviors often contribute to traffic incidents and crashes involving them and other road users. This study set out to analyze the effect of road user type, location and time of day on unsafe driving behaviors observed in traffic conflict situations. Data were collected by road side observation at three different locations in the Eastern part of Nigeria using the Traffic Conflict Technique (TCT). This approach was adopted to overcome the inherent problems associated with reliable, inadequate and accessible crash data in Nigeria. In total 946 traffic conflicts were observed and statistical testing showed that drivers were involved in one or more unsafe behaviors prior to these conflicts. Of all unsafe behaviors observed, the incorrect use of indicators (13.3%) and tailgating (11.5%) were found to be the most prevalent, while road user type, location and time of day were found to be statistically associated with unsafe behaviors such as passenger scouting and picking/dropping of passengers. Tricycle drivers were significantly more likely to engage in unsafe behaviors than vehicle drivers, drivers are also more likely to engage in unsafe behaviors on straight roads. Additionally, a greater number of these unsafe behaviors were observed during the peak periods. It is recommended that better road infrastructure, more effective regulations and enforcement, and proper road safety education could help improve traffic safety in Nigeria.
Original language | English |
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Number of pages | 14 |
Publication status | Published - 19 Jan 2018 |
Event | Annual meeting of the Transportation Research Board (TRB): TRB 2018 - The Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington D.C., United States Duration: 7 Jan 2018 → 11 Jan 2018 Conference number: 97 https://trid.trb.org/view/1494779 |
Conference
Conference | Annual meeting of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) |
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Country/Territory | United States |
City | Washington D.C. |
Period | 7/01/18 → 11/01/18 |
Internet address |
Keywords
- Behaviour
- Crash data
- Human factors
- Traffic Conflicts
- Traffic Safety