Prevalence and risk factors for motorcycle accidents presenting to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Ghana

Introduction: Road traffic injury is of great public health concern, as it stands as the eighth leading cause of death globally with the most affected being the youth aged 15-29 years. It is projected that by 2030, road traffic deaths will become the fifth leading cause of death globally unless urgent action is taken to avert it. Lack of employment has forced many youths in Sub-Saharan Africa into the commercial use of motorcycles known commonly as “Okada” business. Unfortunately, most of these riders do not undertake any formal and structured training or are licensed to be riders. Motorcyclists are among the most vulnerable road users in Ghana; they contribute to about 34% of all road traffic injuries. There is a progressive increase in motorcycle-related accidents as a result of the rise in the use of these bikes for commercial transport despite it being illegal. Statistics from the National Road Safety Commission of Ghana indicate that in 2020 road traffic crashes involving motorcycles killed 1,056 and injured 4,684 commuters. The primary aim of this study is to identify the prevalence and the associated risk factors for motorcycle accident cases and to assess the knowledge of motorcyclists’ on-road regulations on admission at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, a national referral point for all emergency cases in Ghana.

Methods:  The study employed a cross-sectional design that used a structured questionnaire to collect data from 200 respondents using a systematic sampling technique for enrolment. Pearson's Chi-square test statistics were used to estimate the association between helmet usage and respondents’ knowledge level of road regulations on selected socio-demographic characteristics.

Results: The results revealed that demographic characteristics such as age (p <0.001), marital status (p<0.001), education (p=0.035) and occupation (p=0.002) have shown a strong association with helmet use. Further analysis conducted on respondents’ knowledge level of road regulations showed a statistically significant association with their education (p <0.001), religion (p=0.001) and occupation (p=0.006). Less than 40% of the participants reported insuring their motors and having valid national health insurance. The accident victims attributed the cause of their situation to non-adherence to road signs and overspeeding.

Conclusion: Motorcycle-related accidents could be reduced through law enforcement agencies, continuous mass education using all media available and helmet use. Also, there should be a collaboration between all road sectors and road users to find a solution to the current motor accident trend.