Drivers Distraction and Road Traffic Crashes in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State, Nigeria

G. C. Emenike, C.A. Kanu

The study examined the drivers’ distraction and road traffic crashes in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Nigeria. The study made use of three hundred and eighty six copies of questionnaire administered to the commercial vehicle operators in the six traffic zones in Port Harcourt Metropolis using a random sampling technique. Descriptive statistics were used to explain the results while inferential statistics (Spearman’s Rank Correlation) were used to determine the relationship between drivers’ distraction and traffic crashes. Findings showed that majority (97.4%) of the respondents were males, majority (39.1%) were within the age bracket of 25-34 years while 41.7% had driving experience between 3 to 5 years and majority (36.8%) had driving training from the family. Furthermore, types of drivers’ distraction common in the study area included making/receiving calls (59.9%), phone texting (66%), in-vehicle conversation (68.2%), adjustment of Cd/radio (81.9%), eating/drinking (80.1%), outside vehicle distraction (71.2%) and in-vehicle gadgets (64.3%). However, the effects of drivers’ distraction were accidents (42.3%), near crash (61.7%), issues with traffic officials (47.4%), poor turning in heavy traffic (63.4%), poor turning in heavy traffic (63.4%), misuse of lanes (63.4%) and improper indication (63.5%). Correlation analysis showed that road traffic crashes had significant relationships with making/receiving calls (r= -0.164; p<0.05) and in-vehicle gadgets (r= -0.102; p<0.05). The study therefore recommended among others that effective training procedures are required before issuing licence to motorist in order to control the rate of drivers’ distractions; and pro-active measures and effective control practices are essential should be put in place to promote safety on the road and reduce road traffic accidents.