Motorcycle Accident and Associated Factors among Commercial Motorcycle Drivers in Kindo Koyisha Woreda, Southern Ethiopia

Abstract

Background: Motorcycle accidents are a prominent cause of disability and death, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Therefore, the aim of this study was to describe the magnitude of motorcycle accidents and associated factors among commercial motorcycle drivers. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study design was conducted among 235 motorcycle drivers from April 1 to 22, 2021. The participants were selected using a simple random sampling method. A pretested, structured questionnaire was used to collect the data. The data was entered into Epi Info and exported to SPSS version 20 for analysis. Descriptive and association measures were done. The results were presented within texts and tables. Results and Discussion: The magnitude of motorcycle accidents among commercial motorcycle drivers was 65.1% (95% CI: 59%, 71.2%). Driving at speeds greater than 60 km/h (AOR = 8.19, 95% CI: 4.02, 11.42), driving at all hours of the day and night (AOR = 4.05, 95% CI: 1.61, 9.02), using a mobile phone while driving (AOR = 4.42, 95% CI: 2.73, 7.15), having a history of punishment (AOR = 11.05, 95% CI: 8.54, 16.28), drinking alcohol (AOR = 2.3, 95% CI: 1.3, 5.14), being under 20 years old (AOR = 1.78, 95% CI: 1.56, 5.23), and having a license (AOR = 0.24, 95% CI:0.1, 0.8) were factors associated with commercial motorcycle accidents. Conclusion: This finding indicated the need for continuous awareness creation and intense training, along with checking the licenses for their originality. Such a pluralistic overview can also denote the roles of proper operation and technical readiness of the motorcycles running, the proper design of urban mobility and road (cross-roads) construction, as well as the central governmental measures and policies that can act proactively to prevent such accidents from occurring.