Knowledge and practice of road safety measures among motor-bikers in Bangladesh: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Introduction Road traffic accidents (RTAs) including motorbike accidents are the leading cause of death for teenagers between 15 and 29 and have been a serious concern in low- and middle-income countries like Bangladesh. Therefore, this study aims to assess the level of knowledge and practice on road safety measures among motorbikers in Bangladesh. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted from January 2022 to December 2022 among 350 motor-bikers of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh via a series of face-to-face interviews. Motor bikers who regularly ride a motorcycle were interviewed about their road safety knowledge and practices through two-stage cluster sampling technique. Frequency distribution, independent sample t-test, and One-way ANOVA were performed. Results Out of the 350 motorbikers, only 54.6% had good knowledge and 16.9% had poor knowledge on the signs and safety regulations of roads. Moreover, only 50.6% of respondents followed good practices while 23.4% followed poor practices of road safety measures. One way ANOVA analysis demonstrates that the average knowledge score was significantly (p<0.05) higher among higher-educated, unmarried and non-smokers. Additionally, higher education level, non-smoking status and being Muslim were significantly (P<0.05) associated with good road safety practices. Conclusions The overall good knowledge level and practices of road safety measures among the motorbikers were not satisfactory albeit the majority of them knew individual signs and regulations. Therefore, this study suggests that education and strict enforcement of traffic rules may increase their knowledge and practice behavior regarding road safety which in turn would minimize traffic injuries and fatalities.