Boda Bodas and Road Traffic Injuries in Uganda: An Overview of Traffic Safety Trends from 2009 to 2017

Silvia D. Vaca, Austin Y. Feng, Seul Ku, Michael C. Jin, Bina W. Kakusa, Allen L. Ho, Michael Zhang, Anthony Fuller, Michael M. Haglund and Gerald Grant
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Silvia D. Vaca: Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
Austin Y. Feng: Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
Seul Ku: Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
Michael C. Jin: Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
Bina W. Kakusa: Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
Allen L. Ho: Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
Michael Zhang: Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
Anthony Fuller: Division of Global Neurosurgery and Neurology, Department of Neurosurgery, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
Michael M. Haglund: Division of Global Neurosurgery and Neurology, Department of Neurosurgery, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
Gerald Grant: Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 6, 1-12

Abstract: Introduction: Road traffic injuries (RTIs) are an important contributor to the morbidity and mortality of developing countries. In Uganda, motorcycle taxis, known as boda bodas, are responsible for a growing proportion of RTIs. This study seeks to evaluate and comment on traffic safety trends from the past decade. Methods: Traffic reports from the Ugandan police force (2009 to 2017) were analyzed for RTI characteristics. Furthermore, one month of casualty ward data in 2015 and 2018 was collected from the Mulago National Referral Hospital and reviewed for casualty demographics and trauma type. Results: RTI motorcycle contribution rose steadily from 2009 to 2017 (24.5% to 33.9%). While the total number of crashes dropped from 22,461 to 13,244 between 2010 and 2017, the proportion of fatal RTIs increased from 14.7% to 22.2%. In the casualty ward, RTIs accounted for a greater proportion of patients and traumas in 2018 compared to 2015 (10%/41% and 36%/64%, respectively). Conclusions: Although RTIs have seen a gross reduction in Uganda, they have become more deadly, with greater motorcycle involvement. Hospital data demonstrate a rising need for trauma and neurosurgical care to manage greater RTI patient burden. Combining RTI prevention and care pathway improvements may mitigate current RTI trends.

Keywords: Uganda; road traffic injury; motorcycle; Africa; trauma; road safety; traumatic brain injury (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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