Prevalence and predictors of near misses and road traffic crashes among long-distance bus drivers in Ghana
DOI: 10.1007/s44202-024-00255-x
archive: archived pipeline: cataloged verified
Get this paper ↗ (DOI — opens at the source; we link to it, we don't host it)
Summary
This study investigates the prevalence and predictors of road traffic crashes (RTCs) and near misses among long-distance bus drivers in Ghana, addressing a critical gap in research regarding occupational safety in the region. Motivated by the high burden of road traffic injuries and the specific vulnerabilities of professional drivers facing demanding work conditions, the research aims to identify socio-demographic and psychosocial factors influencing safety outcomes. The study aligns with Sustainable Development Goals 3.6 and 8.5, seeking to inform policies that reduce fatalities and promote safer working environments. The researchers conducted a cross-sectional survey of 7,315 long-distance bus drivers operating from Accra and Tema to other parts of Ghana and West Africa. Using convenient sampling, the study included both minibus and long-bus drivers. Data were collected via structured questionnaires assessing socio-demographics, working conditions, and psychosocial factors using validated instruments such as the Job Content Questionnaire, Work–Family Conflict Scale, and Psychosocial Safety Climate-12. Sleepiness was measured using the modified Karolinska Sleepiness Scale. Binary logistic regression analyses were performed to determine predictors of RTCs and near misses reported within the two years prior to data collection. The results revealed extremely high prevalence rates: 53.7% of drivers reported at least one RTC, and 96.9% reported at least one near miss. For RTCs, protective factors included older age (≥41 years), higher education levels, and extensive driving experience (≥21 years). Conversely, RTC risk was significantly increased by 6–20 years of experience, individual bus ownership, irregular shifts, driving more than 8 hours daily or 40 hours weekly, sleepiness, job security, low decision authority, low skill discretion, and low supervisor support. Predictors for near misses differed slightly; they were associated with public bus ownership, not driving alone, low decision authority, low skill discretion, and low supervisor support, while high work-family conflict reduced the likelihood of reporting near misses. The findings underscore the hazardous nature of bus driving in Ghana, driven by a combination of individual factors and systemic working conditions. The study highlights that while experience and education mitigate crash risks, psychosocial stressors such as low job control and inadequate supervisor support significantly elevate danger. The authors conclude that targeted interventions are necessary to regulate working hours, enhance job security, and integrate occupational health and safety standards. By addressing these psychosocial and structural predictors, stakeholders can develop evidence-based policies to reduce road traffic incidents and improve the well-being of professional drivers.
Provenance
The full processing record for this entry. Every stage of this paper's journey through the pipeline is logged — what ran, with which tool and model, how many attempts it took, and when it last completed.
| Stage | Outcome | Tool | Model | Prompt | Attempts | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| discover | success | Crossref | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-20 |
| archive | success | canonical_url | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-26 |
| extract | success | cached | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-26 |
| clean | success | clean | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-20 |
| chunk | success | chunk | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-20 |
| embed | success | embed | Qwen/Qwen3-Embedding-8B | — | 1 | 2026-06-20 |
| enrich | success | openalex | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-20 |
| promote | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-20 |
| summarize | success | llm | qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant | summ-v5 | 1 | 2026-06-26 |
| tag | success | vector_similarity | — | — | 6 | 2026-06-20 |
| verify | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-26 |
Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-26; verification: verified.
Topics
Ranked by relevance to this paper. Hover a topic for its definition.
Information type
What kind of knowledge this paper contributes, grouped by family — independent of topic (what it is about) and method (how it was studied).
- Empirical Findings: crash risk outcomes, observational prevalence