Publication:

Recognition and interpretation of road signs by commercial drivers in Enugu Nigeria

Background Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest road injury death rate of all regions in the world with Nigeria being one of the four countries accounting for half of all these deaths. Road, traffic signs or codes are salient ways of communication to road users geared towards reducing road traffic accident and studies that traffic violation are considered to be amongst the causes of road traffic accidents. Recognition, interpretation and observance of road signs could be of great importance in reducing the incidence of road accidents. This study was aimed at assessing the knowledge of road signs by commercial drivers in Enugu South-East Nigeria.

Methods This was a cross sectional descriptive study carried out in Enugu metropolis over a period of 3 months using a pre-tested structured questionnaire. Commercial drivers in Enugu participated in the study. Common road signs in their usual colors were showed to the drivers to test their ability to correctly identify the signs.

Results The mean age of the respondents was 42.4±9.6 years. Majority of the respondents, 59.4% are on intra-city transport route. Over 65% of the driver’s attained secondary education and beyond. Nearly a half (49.4%) of the drivers had poor knowledge of road signs. Drivers who have attained primary education and less (AOR=0.2, 95% CI: 0.1-0.3); who are on intra-city transport route (AOR=0.08, 95% CI: 0.05-0.1) or had less than 11 years driving experience (AOR=0.3, 95% CI: 0.1-0.5) were less likely to have good knowledge of road signs.

Conclusions Significant gaps still exist in knowledge of road signs among commercial drivers in Enugu, Nigeria.