Fitness to drive among commercial intercity drivers in Benin-City, Edo State

Abstract

Background: Unfit drivers are prone to road traffic accident, therefore their health is paramount in ensuring the safety of road users. To determine the fitness to drive among commercial intercity bus drivers in Benin City, Edo State
Material and methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 194 commercial intercity drivers. The respondents were selected using systematic random sampling technique. Data was collected with the aid of an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Estimation of the alcohol level, visual acuity, blood pressure and body mass index was done for respondents using an Alcomate breathalyzer, Snellen’s chart, sphygmomanometer, measuring tape/weighing scale, respectively. IBM SPSS version 21 software was utilized for data analysis. Level of significance was set at p < 0.05.
Results: The mean age of respondents was 40.5 ± 7.3 years. Eighty-seven (44.8%) of the respondents had blood alcohol level greater than the legally acceptable limit, 12 (6.2%) were observed to be visually impaired while 4 (2.1%) were hypertensive. Based on these indices, 95 (49.0%) of the respondents were unfit to drive.
Conclusion: Almost half of the drivers were unfit to drive based on their abnormal blood alcohol level, visual acuity and high blood pressure. This emphasizes the need for proper pre-medical and periodic medical examination of drivers to ensure their fitness to drive. This will minimize the occurrence of road traffic accidents and their sequelae.

Keywords: Fitness to drive; Commercial intercity drivers; Benin City