Factors Associated with Injuries among Commercial Motorcyclists: Evidence from a Matched Case Control Study in Kampala City, Uganda

Abstract

IntroductionRoad traffic injuries are the eighth leading cause of death globally and the most affected are young people aged 15–29. By 2030 road traffic deaths will become the fifth leading cause of death unless urgent action is taken. Motorcyclists are among the most vulnerable road users and in Uganda they contribute 41% of all road traffic injuries. This paper establishes factors associated with the injuries of commercial motorcycle riders also known as boda-boda riders in Kampala, Uganda’s capital city.MethodsThe study was matched case-control with a case being a boda-boda rider that was seen at one of the 5 major city hospitals with a road traffic injury while a control was a boda-boda rider that was at the parking stage where the case operated from before the injury. The sample size was 289 riders per arm and data collection took 7 months. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data on background and exposing factors. Being matched case-control data conditional logistic regression was used in the analysis.ResultsFactors independently associated with injury among motorcyclists were younger age group, being a current alcohol drinker (OR = 2.30, 95%CI: 1.19–4.45), lower engine capacity (<100cc)(OR = 5.03, 95%CI: 2.91–8.70), riding experience of less than 3 years, not changing a motorcycle in past 1 year (OR = 2.04, 95%CI: 1.19–3.52), riding for a longer time in a day (OR = 6.05, 95%CI: 2.58–14.18) and sharing a motorcycle (OR = 8.25, 95%CI:2.62–25.9). Other factors associated with injury were low level of knowledge of traffic rules, being stopped by police for checks on condition of motorcycle/license/insurance, working till late.RecommendationsMore road safety sensitization is required among riders to raise awareness against sharing motorcycles, working for a longer time and alcohol consumption. Police enforcement of drink-driving laws should include riders of commercial motorcycles. Investigate the validity of motorcycle riding licenses and test the riding competency of all who got licenses in last 3 years.

Pre-injury alcohol use and road traffic injury among patients at Mulago National Referral Hospital, Kampala, Uganda: Cross-sectional study

“…The prevalence of pre-injury alcohol use among all road users in this study was similar to that of commercial motorcyclists; 29.8% who reported to hospitals in Kampala with RTI (Tumwesigye, Atuyambe, & Kobusingye, 2015 (Peek-Asa & Kraus, 1996). Other studies show a range of 2% -40% prevalence of alcohol or drugs use prior to the injury incident ( Dasa, Gjerdeb, Gopalan, & Norman, 2012;Bogstrand, Hallvard , Norman, Rossow, & Ekeberg, 2012;Odero, Alcohol-related road traffic injuries in Eldoret, Kenya, 1998).…”

Motorcycle taxi programme increases safe riding behaviours among its drivers in Kampala, Uganda

“…We used a purposive and convenience sampling method (ie, targeting areas with boda-boda stages with at least one SafeBoda driver) to recruit participants for the study. This method had previously been used to recruit boda-boda drivers in Kampala 4. We recruited a maximum of four drivers from each stage by enrolling the first four to give consent to be in the study.…”

“…However, it is now a generic term for bicycle and motorcycle taxis in East Africa. In present use, boda-boda increasingly refers to motorcycle taxis), are a major form of transportation because they are relatively affordable, convenient for short distances and efficient for navigating heavy vehicular traffic 1–5. In the city of Kampala alone, there are an estimated 50 000 to 80 000 boda-boda drivers 2.…”

Effect of Health Education of Safety Riding Using Audiovisual Media on Knowledge, Attitudes and Subjective Norms of Junior High School Students in Samarinda Indonesia

“…The main factors that cause motorized accidents include underage, low knowledge, attitude of motorists who do not have a driving license and do not use helmets, and low driving experience (Tumwesigye et al, 2016;Woratanarat et al, 2013). Another research to mention states that behavior when driving is unsafe which includes the behavior of breaking traffic lights in yellow, calling, texting, and smoking while driving, and driving more than 2 people is a factor in traffic accidents on students (Setyowati et al, 2019).…”