Road Traffic Accidents in Warri and Environs: A Trend Analysis

Abstract

Road traffic accidents (RTAs) rank 9th as the leading cause of death globally. Nigeria is among the worst cases. This study examined road traffic accidents in Warri and environs from 1990-2009. The data generated were analysed using timeseries and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Findings showed that the road traffic accident cases totalled 3,475 within the period of study, had a fluctuating pattern and increased in 2009. There was an upward trend in the study area as evidenced by a calculated value of 3.728, which is greater than the critical table value of 1.734 at p < 0.05. The model forecasted a 66.68 % increase by 2015, if the current trend is unabated. With a calculated F value of 13, which is greater than the critical table value of 3.16 at p < 0.05, there was spatial variability in road traffic accident trends in different parts of Warri and environs. Based on the findings recommendations were proffered.