AN ASSESSMENT OF ROAD TRAFIC CRASHES AND ROAD SAFETY AWARENESS AMONG TRICYCLE RIDERS IN MAIDUGURI METROPOLITANT COUNCIL

The aim of this study is to assess road traffic crashes and roadsafety awareness among tricycle riders in Maiduguri Metropolitan Council. The population of the study comparised of 4000 tricyclic riders and the sample size of the study was 100 respondents. The research instrument used was questionnaires, and personal observation. The data collected were analyzed by the use of descriptive statistics, where simple tools for statistical analysis such as total and percentage were found. The findings of the study shows that, majority of the RTC were caused by the human factor, specifically over-spending which a times coincide with dangerous overtaking. The study found that road condition in the study area is fair as RTC related to the bad condition of the road were insignificant (0.7%) and also reveals that not more than half of the respondents are enlightened at fairly, highly, and moderate level, this indicates that almost 5 out of every 10 were aware of the traffic rules and driving ethics. It was concluded that road accidents involving Tricycle riders frequently occurred in the study area, resulted from the violation of traffic rules and regulation. The study recommended that, The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) should intensify it’s effort in enlightening road users most especially commercial drivers on the laws guiding road usage and a way of enforcing them. This will go a long way in making drivers comply to road signs and regulations.