Abstract
This project is to determine the level and rate of road traffic accidents in Nigeria Data from Federal Road Safety Commission was used to find out the prevalence of Road Traffic Accidents over a years period (2002-2015) and to know if there were any dedication to be made. It was discovered that over the selected period of study, the number of road traffic accidents that occurred within each year did not follow any significant trend. The trend equation is y=a + bt, based on the equation the projection for 4th quarter of 2007 will be 132.6319. Also the season noticed that majority of the road users that involved in road traffic accidents were on motorcycle. It was noticed also that on the whole, more males were victims of road traffic accidents than females.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Road transportation is by far the commonest means of transportation in Nigeria when compared to other means like air, rail and water. The technology has made life easy compared to previous means of transportation such as the use of animals during the pre colonial era. Nigerian economy despite its flaws, has afforded a large number of its populace the means to own cars making road traffic a major problem with grave disadvantages.
In Nigeria, road accidents have been a disturbing phenomenon that has constituted a menace. It is generally believed but not statistically proven that the rate of road accidents in Nigeria has geometrically increased. Road accidents are caused by various reasons, ranging from carelessness on the part of the drivers to the deplorable nature of our roads. Put differently, Nigerian roads have become killing fields without protection for their users. Travellers heave a sigh of relief if they make their destinations. The worrisome trend has tremendous negative impact on the nation’s health system as well as its social and economic aspirations. It was estimated that the total number of registered vehicles in Nigeria rose between 1990 – 2006 from 700,000 to 6,000,000 (Umar 2010). Despite the happiness this brought and change of quality of family lives associated with owning a vehicle, its possession has made so many families bereaved of their breadwinners or lovely ones due to unprecedented rate of road traffic accidents in Nigeria. According to the Federal Road Safety Commission, not less than
88,520 road users lost their lives between 1991 and 2000 alone, most victims being between 20-40 years. There is need to view road accident as a very major issue requiring urgent attention aimed at preventing premature deaths, reducing the health, social and economic impacts it portends to the average Nigerian. This disturbing assertion will be the bedrock of our statistical study on road accidents in Nigeria.
