Analysis of Road Users’ Perception of Road Traffic Safety in Minna, Niger State, Nigeria.

Abstract

Apart from epidemiological factors, road traffic accident is one of the major causes of death in developing countries. Over the years, many lives have been lost, properties damaged or lost and many others are left permanently impaired by Road Traffic Accident (RTA) in Nigeria especially in Minna, the Capital city of Niger State. As a result of this, road traffic safety management measures have been put into place to help in curbing the menace of road traffic accidents. This paper therefore investigated the perception of road users on the effectiveness of the road traffic safety measures put in place in Minna metropolis. The methodology adopted was based on the collection of data using questionnaire and documentary records from the Motor Traffic Division of the Nigerian Police force, Minna Command. The findings show that 78% of accident victims are males while 21.9% are females in Minna. The study further reveals that 84.2% of vehicles involved in road accidents are private cars. Also, the number of accident in each zone does not depend on the population of that zone. The study further identifies the causes of accident in Minna which are largely human induced constituting 70% of causes and generally the existing safety measures put in place to curb accident menace in the study area are perceived to be ineffective by road users. On the strength of the findings, recommendations were made bothering on regular and periodic maintenance of road network, and proactive measures such as regular road safety enlightenment programs by all stakeholders in order to increase road safety education and awareness among the city residents in particular and in Nigeria in general.