EPIDEMIOLOGY AND

CONTROL OF ROAD TRAFFIC

ACCIDENTS
PRESENTED BY
IRIA AREKHANDIA IHENYEN
MED1807418; S/N 62.

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH &

COMMUNITY MEDICINE.
UNIVERSITY OF BENIN TEACHING
HOSPITAL.
16TH DECEMBER, 2024.
 OUTLINE
 Introduction
 Epidemiology
 The burden
 Causes
 Prevention & control
 First aid in road traffic accidents
 Challenges
 Conclusion
 Recommendations
 References
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 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
 RTA: Road Traffic Accident
 WHO: World Health Organization
 FRSC: Federal Road Safety Commission
 LMICs: Low and middle income nations
 OECD: The organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development

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 DEFINITION OF TERMS
 ROAD TRAFFIC ACCIDENT
 A road traffic accident (RTA) refers to an incident on a
public road or street that injures or kills one or more people
and involves at least one vehicle in motion.
(Hareru et al.,2022).

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 DEFINITION OF TERMS…
 ROAD TRAFFIC ACCIDENT
 A road traffic accident(RTA) is any accident involving at
least one road vehicle in motion on a public road or private
road to which the public has right of access, resulting in at
least one injured or killed person.

(United Nations, European Union and the International

Transport Forum at the OECD, 2019).

5
 INTRODUCTION
 As a major threat to public health and economic growth, RTA is
a worldwide issue of grave importance. RTA is the eighth
largest cause of mortality worldwide.

 The World Health Organization (WHO) expects RTAs to rise to

become the fifth-greatest cause of mortality by 2030.

 These accidents are one of the top three causes of death for
people aged 5 to 44 years and the leading cause of death for
young people aged 5 to 29 years.

(Hareru et al., 2022). 6

 EPIDEMIOLOGY OF RTA
 RTAs claim the lives of about 3,700 people every day and
roughly 1.35 million people each year.

 These RTA fatalities involved cars, buses, motorbikes,

bicycles, trucks, and pedestrians.

 The high proportional burden is borne by pedestrians,

cyclists, and motorcyclists, particularly those living in
developing countries.

(Hareru et al., 2022). 7

 EPIDEMIOLOGY OF RTA…
 Despite a minor decrease in road traffic deaths over the last
decade, the current global fatality rate of 16.4 per 100,000
is staggeringly high.

 Around 50 million people are injured every year due to

non-fatal injuries sustained in RTAs, posing a severe threat
to global public health.

(Hareru et al., 2022).

8
 EPIDEMIOLOGY OF RTA…
 According to the WHO, despite having <60% of the
world’s registered vehicles, low and middle-income
countries account for approximately 93% of deaths and
90% of disability adjusted life years (DALYs) lost annually
in road traffic crashes.

 Projections show that these figures will continue to rise

over the next 20 years, with Africa having the highest
fatality rate.
(Hareru et al., 2022).
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 THE BURDEN OF RTA
 An RTA is not only a tragedy that kills people but also a
disaster that harms people, property, and the environment.

 The financial burden of these injuries falls heaviest on

families, who must deal with both immediate and long-
term costs, such as medical bills and lost savings.

(Hareru et al., 2022).

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 THE BURDEN OF RTA…
 Road traffic injuries have a high financial impact
nationally, especially in developing nations.

 Therefore, more effective control measures for the causes

of road accidents are required if we are to achieve a
reduction in road deaths and injuries by the year 2030.

(Hareru et al., 2022).

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 THE BURDEN OF RTA…
 Economic losses due to road traffic fatalities and injuries are
estimated to be 3% of global GDP and 5% of GDP in low-
and middle-income nations (LMICs).

 Africa has the highest rate of RTA fatalities per capita, with
walkers and other vulnerable road users bearing the brunt of
the burden.

 RTAs are now a major issue in Sub-Saharan Africa(SSA),

accounting for roughly one-third of all regional deaths.

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 CAUSES OF RTA
 The causes of road traffic accidents are multifactorial. They
are grouped under the following:
 Host factors

 Agent factors

 Environmental factors

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 CAUSES OF RTA…
 Host factors: these involve road users, including drivers,
passengers and pedestrians. Host factors can be further sub-
classified as follows:
 Driver factors: these include:
 Overconfidence.
 Speeding.
 Lack of Concentration.
 Tiredness.
 Driving under the influence of alcohol.

Nigeria Highway Code, 2015-2025. 14

 CAUSES OF RTA…
 Driver factors…
 Driving under the influence of drugs.

 Poor vehicle care.

 Indiscriminate parking.

 Dangerous overtaking

Nigeria Highway Code, 2015-2025.

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 CAUSES OF RTA…
 Passenger factors:
 Distraction: passengers contribute to road traffic crashes by
engaging the driver in discussions and arguments.

 Nonchalant Attitude

 Pedestrians: pedestrians contribute to road traffic crashes

by not observing road traffic rules and regulations.

Nigeria Highway Code, 2015-2025. 16

 CAUSES OF RTA…
 Agent(vehicular) factors: these include:
 Malfunction of engine
 Poor steering mechanism
 Tire burst
 Brake failure
 Failed wipers during rainy season
 Spilled oil leading to crashes
 Exhaust fumes or smokes leading to temporary road
blindness
 Faulty security gadgets
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 CAUSES OF RTA…
 Agent(vehicular) factors…
 Defective lighting system
 Defective horn
 Faulty wheel balancing and alignment
 Absence of rear mirror
 Leaking fuel that may result to fire outbreak
 Lack of reflective triangle
 Incompetent wheel nut
 Lack of seatbelt
 Inconsistency in vehicle load design
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 CAUSES OF RTA…
 Environmental factors
 Improperly placed or absence of road signs
 Pot holes on our roads
 Bad roads (Narrow, rough, dusty and winding roads)
 Heavy rain
 Harmattan haze
 Hot sun on roads in desert/savannah area

Nigeria Highway Code, 2015-2025.

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 CAUSES OF RTA…
 Environmental factors…
 Absence of road markings

 Collapsed bridges

 Slippery surface(oil spill on the road)

 Fallen trees on the road

 River overflow
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 PREVENTION & CONTROL OF RTA

The methods for the preventing road traffic accidents can be

categorized as follows:
 Primordial level of prevention.
 Primary level of prevention.
 Secondary level of prevention.
 Tertiary level of prevention.
 Quaternary level of prevention.
(WHO, 2023).

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 PREVENTION & CONTROL OF
RTA…
 Primordial prevention: involves legislation and enactment
of policies to discourage inappropriate behavior on the road
by drivers, passengers and pedestrians. Such policies include:

 Compulsory wearing of helmets by two wheelers and seat

belts by four wheelers must be implemented.

 Strict enforcement of traffic rules by the concerned

authorities.
(NCBI, 2024).
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 PREVENTION & CONTROL OF
RTA…
 Primordial Prevention…
 Removal of stray animals like cattle and removal of
encroachment on footpath and road margins to enable
smooth flow of traffic.

 Preventing haphazard parking of vehicles on busy roads

and intersections to ensure free flow of traffic.

(NCBI, 2024).
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 PREVENTION & CONTROL OF
RTA…
 Primary prevention:
 Issuing of driving license should be strictly based on the
minimum proficiency acquired by the learners from
designated driving schools.

 Minimum qualifications should be fixed for different

categories of drivers.

 All drivers should be properly trained and should possess a

valid driving license.
(NCBI, 2024) 24
 PREVENTION & CONTROL OF
RTA…
Primary Prevention…
 Carry out periodic medical checkup especially vision and
hearing for drivers.

 Training on first aid should be compulsory along with

health education for the general public to prevent accidents

 Indiscriminate honking should be avoided, except as a

means of greeting or in dire emergencies.
(NCBI, 2024).
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 PREVENTION & CONTROL OF
RTA…
 Secondary prevention:
 The importance of the ‘Golden hour’ in giving adequate
treatment to the accident victim in saving the injured
should be highlighted to both the health personnel and the
community.

 Provision of medical care/first aid care facilities on

highways and busy roads.
(NCBI, 2024).
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 PREVENTION & CONTROL OF
RTA…
 Secondary Prevention…
 Provision of ambulances and trained health personnel in
shifting and transporting the injured persons to nearby
hospitals for treatment.

 Awareness creation among all sections of the society to

treat accident victims with sympathy and without fear so
that the morbidity and mortality can be reduced.
(NCBI, 2024).

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 PREVENTION & CONTROL OF
RTA…
 Tertiary Prevention: involves measures undertaken to
reduce the impact of accident after they have occurred.
They include:
 Supporting victims and their families.

 Conducting investigations to identify causes and improve

safety measures.

 Rehabilitation of accident victims.

(WHO, 2023).
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 PREVENTION & CONTROL OF
RTA…
 Quaternary Prevention
 Involves avoiding unnecessary medical interventions and
minimizing over diagnosis and overtreatment of injuries.

(WHO, 2023).

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 FIRST AID IN RTA
 Many deaths and impact of injuries can be prevented with
first aid if causalities are treated immediately.

 The basic aims of first aid are:

 To save life.
 To protect the casualty from getting more harm.
 To reduce pain and priorities of casualty treatment.

(NCBI, 2024).

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 FIRST AID IN RTA…
 Immediate requirements in RTA are as follows:

 Critical 4 min
 One of the most common causes of a road accident death is
due to loss of oxygen supply. This is mostly caused by a
blocked airway. Normally, it takes less than 4min for a
blocked airway to cause death.

(NCBI, 2024).

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 FIRST AID IN RTA
 The Golden hour
 The first hour after trauma is called the ‘golden hour.’ If
proper first aid is given, road accident victims have a
greater chance of survival and a reduction in the severity of
their injuries.
(NCBI, 2024).

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 CHALLENGES IN PREVENTING RTA

 Challenges militating against the thriving of road safety in

Nigeria varies from political to legislative differences as
well as human and cultural acceptability. They include:
 Cultural conflict e.g., the use of crash helmets
 Myths and beliefs e.g., predestination beliefs such as ‘what
will be, will be.’
 Ineffective traffic law implementation
 Bad road infrastructure
 Ineffective vehicle inspection systems
 Use of highway as a market place.
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 CONCLUSION
 Road traffic accidents is a important topic of public
health significance. It is a major cause of death in
developed and developing countries requiring
interventions from the government and all road
users, including drivers, passengers and pedestrians
to ensure safety of life and property.

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 RECOMMENDATIONS
 To the Federal Government

 Federal government through the ministry of education should

include road safety programmes in the school curriculum.

 The federal government through the ministry of works should

ensure all bad roads are completely repaired with standard
materials.

 The Federal government through the state road safety agency

should continually organize community outreaches to raise
awareness on the prevention of road crashes. 35
 RECOMMENDATIONS…
 To the Federal Road Safety Commission

 The state road safety workers should ensure that the road
safety laws are observed by road users.

 Vehicle inspection officers should carry out routine checks

to ensure that only road worthy vehicles remain on the
highways.

 Road users should make effort to abide to traffic laws to

ensure their safety. 36
 RECOMMENDATIONS…
 To the public

 Road users should make effort to abide to traffic laws to

ensure their safety.

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 REFERENCES
 Hareru HE, Negassa B, Kassa Abebe R, Ashenafi E,
Zenebe GA, Debela BG, Ashuro Z and Eshete Soboksa N
(2022). The epidemiology of road traffic
accidents and associated factors among drivers in Dilla
Town, Southern Ethiopia. Front. Public Health,
10:1007308. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.1007308.

 https://www.highwaycode.com.ng/

 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3893966/
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 REFERENCES…
 United Nations, European Union and the International
Transport Forum at the OECD, 2019. Glossary.

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THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!

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