Road traffic accidents in Bangladesh: Why people have poor knowledge and awareness about traffic rules?

Abstract

Purpose: The study aimed to identify the characteristics of road traffic accident (RTA) and to determine the role of different socioeconomic and demographic factors on the knowledge and awareness about traffic rules among people in Bangladesh. Study Design: This was a cross-sectional study. Methods: To conduct this study, 700 primary data were collected from respondents who were involved in RTA by interviewing in medical college hospitals and several private clinics of Dhaka, Rajshahi, and Khulna division in Bangladesh. For the achievement of the objective, the Chi-square test, Cramer's V correlation, and the logistic regression model have been applied in this study. Results: Traffic rules violation was identified as the second-most important reason behind RTA. Respondent's age, gender, residence, education, occupation, awareness about RTA, etc., were significantly associated with having knowledge and awareness about traffic rules. The result of multivariate analysis showed that respondent's age (<30: odds ratio [OR] = 2.019, confidence interval [CI]: 1.377–2.960); residence (rural: OR = 0.288, CI: 0.193–0.431); education (literate: OR = 5.064, CI: 3.332–7.698); and categories of victims (driver: OR = 2.731, CI: 1.676–4.450 and passenger: 1.869, CI: 1.198–2.916) were the vital predictors of having knowledge and awareness about traffic rules. Conclusions: By imposing strict traffic act, increasing public awareness through various types of education and awareness/outreach about traffic rules-related program, especially in rural areas, by strictly prohibiting the license giving to unskilled drivers or unfit vehicles, RTA can be minimized.

Clinicoepidemiological profile of trauma patients admitting to the emergency department of a tertiary care hospital in eastern India

“…We also noted that in injury victims, males are high compared with females similar to many studies. [ 8 9 15 16 ] Clearly, the men being outdoor are the reason for this gender polarization. The age group we found was highest in 21–30 years (31.4% participants).…”

“…As depicted in our study, most studies report young adults (20–40) are more prone to injuries. [ 8 9 11 15 16 17 18 ] It is a matter of concern as they represent the most economically productive age group leading to damages in terms of loss of wages and productive work hours lost.…”

“…also found that ignorance for traffic rules is an important factor RTI. [ 16 ] There is a need for behavioral changes among the users for better implementation of road traffic regulations. The implementation of new motor vehicle (amendment) act in 2019 by the Government of India has shown some promising results in the early months.…”

Awareness and Practice of Road Safety Measures of Pedestrians in Bangladesh

“…A few recent studies have emphasised poor knowledge and awareness regarding traffic rules and road safety attitudes among pedestrians in Bangladesh. MrHossain and his colleagues tried to identify the characteristics of road traffic accidents (RTA) and the role of different socioeconomic and demographic factors in the knowledge and awareness about traffic rules among people in Bangladesh (Hossain et al, 2020). While (Hasanat-E-Rabbi et al, 2021) tried to identify the factor structure of a self-report questionnaire on pedestrian behaviours and road safety attitudes and explore the relationships between them.…”

Exploring Women’s Experience of Gender-Based Violence and Other Threats to Safety on Public Transport in Bangladesh

“…Rapid urbanisation and increased motorisation have followed on the heels of economic growth, and a lack of matching infrastructure investment and planning has resulted in severe pollution and traffic congestion in major cities across the country (Swapan et al 2017;The World Bank 2020). Coupled with lax traffic law enforcement, high levels of unlicensed or unskilled drivers, and poor vehicle and road standards, the risk of traffic injury in both private and public transport is high by international standards (Barua and Tay 2010;Islam MR et al 2020;Kamruzzaman, Haque and Washington 2014) and, on some indicators, is increasing (Biswas 2012;Hoque, Bin Alam and Habib 2003). Crash reporting is poor, with the World Health Organization (WHO) estimating that about 25,000 people are killed on the roads each year, 10 times the official figure reported by police (WHO 2018).…”