Characterization of Road Traffic Accidents and Identification of Hotspots in a Typical Administrative City of Nigeria

Abstract

The objectives of this study were to characterize road traffic accidents (RTAs) and identify hotspots in a typical urban administrative centre of Osogbo, southwest Nigeria using archived data for four consecutive years (2010-2013). Relying on both descriptive and geoinformation techniques, the results show that year 2011 accounted for the highest count of RTAs (31.4%), followed by 2012, 2010 and 2013 with 28.6%, 20.3% and 19.7% RTAs respectively, with the highest occurrence taking place in the ‘ember’ months, that is, September to December. In terms of the initiating factors for the recorded RTAs, externalities, relating to pedestrian or stray animals crossing accounted for 3.2% causes, while drivers’ state of mind and psychological influence at the time of the accidents accounted for 30.4%. Also, light weight vehicles (LWV) constituted 35% of vehicle types involved in the RTAs, followed by two and three legged bicycles and motor cycles (MC) (29%). On the basis of the operators, commercial vehicles accounted for 40% of RTAs, followed by RTAs involving commercial and private vehicles (27%). Furthermore, of the 290 RTAs for the period under consideration, 870 casualties were recorded with 89.54% injured and 10.46% dead. On identifying hotspots of RTAs in Osogbo, the study revealed that the Gbogan – Osogbo highway, connecting Osogbo to Ife and Ibadan, two major cities of influence, has the highest rates of RTAs, while the segment of the highway
between 667071.852E, 855062445N and 667230.603E,855540.812N was identified as hotspot with the highest RTAs.