Road Traffic Accidents in Malawi: Inference analysis, Interpretations and interventions

Abstract

This is a case study investigating road traffic accidents in Malawi. Apart from assessing risks to road accidents and burden of crash injuries the study also identifies significant risk factors or safety factors that have more than standard influence on road accidents. Each and every road safety factor has an affect on crash involvement and injury but some of them have risk above normal or benchmark threat. Road crash injuries impact huge human and economic cost worldwide including Malawi and the crisis is predicted to increase if road safety is not adequately addressed by Member States. Therefore, the study was instigated in response to WHO call for all Member States to address their road safety problems. A secondary sourced data of road traffic accidents for 2010 was sampled from database managed by NRSCM and empirical analysis was carried out. Sample size was settled at a whole year crash data of 2,472 road accidents. After that, based on crash data variables, hypotheses were formulated and statistical methods namely Cross-tabulation and Chi-square (χ 2) test, integrated in computer package, SPSS 16.0, analysed crash data. While cross-tabulation assessed split of crash injuries in road safety factors, Chi-square (χ 2) tested hypotheses for statistical significance. Speed, BAC level, seatbelt/helmet use, road user type, road user behaviour, road user gender, road user age, vehicle type, time, day, district, accident type, road geometry, surrounding, other factors and light condition are among many crash data variables and attributes or road safety factors identified significant to road accidents. Based on findings and their discussions, the study concludes that Malawi roads kill more than injury and pedestrians, bicyclists and passengers are more vulnerable. Over-speeding is at the core of road safety problems, followed by the growing motorisation and enhanced traffic mix with high speed traffic. With one origin of crash data, that is police, road accidents are under-reported. Police also rarely record seatbelt/helmet use, BAC level and behaviour safety problems in bicycle drivers. Consequently, crash risks and injury burden are inadequately assessed, policy-makers and vii decision-makers are provided with insufficient information, safety problems are partially treated and, road safety awareness is not developed and raised accordingly. The study proposes interventions on road safety issues raised in findings and their discussions and so recommend for national policy promoting walking, cycling and public transport, for intensive road safety awareness campaigns and publicity as well as enforcement of road traffic laws and regulations and, for capacity improvements in pre-hospital, hospital and physiotherapy care in order to minimise risk, casualty including preventable deaths and disability. However, interventions should prioritise significant road safety factors in order to maximise crash injury reductions or crash injury reductions per unit cost of prevention.