When does Reckless Driving Occurs? Case Study in Nampula, Mozambique

Celso L. Fernando and Jaibo Mucufo
Additional contact information
Celso L. Fernando: Lurio University, Faculty of Architecture an Physical Planning
Jaibo Mucufo: TARGET Consultores, LDA, Nampula, Mozambique

Technium Social Sciences Journal, 2024, vol. 63, issue 1, 302-312

Abstract: This study investigates the influence of traffic conditions on reckless driving behavior in Nampula, Mozambique, where road accidents claim several lives daily. Previous research has largely focused on individual driving behaviors, neglecting the impact of traffic environments on such behaviors. This study addresses this gap by categorizing vehicles into four groups: passenger cars, minibuses, trucks, and motorcycles, and classifying traffic conditions using k-means clustering. Three distinct traffic patterns were identified: Motorcycle and Car Dominant Traffic (MCDT), High-Density Traffic Flow (HDTf), and Low-Density Traffic Flow (LDTf). Results show that reckless driving is significantly influenced by traffic conditions, with minibuses, motorcycles, and trucks being key contributors. Pattern 2 (HDTf) demonstrated the highest occurrence of reckless driving, driven by competition among minibus drivers, the obstructive presence of trucks, and risky motorcycle maneuvers. Pattern 1 also exhibited elevated risk, particularly performed among motorcycle riders, while Pattern 3 (LDTf) showed the lowest risk due to reduced traffic density. Poisson regression analysis revealed that increased traffic flow in any vehicle category is associated with higher rates of reckless driving. Minibuses and motorcycles, functioning as demand-oriented public transport, engage in competitive and unsafe behaviors, while trucks, though not engaging in reckless driving directly, act as barriers that exacerbate risky maneuvers by other vehicles. These findings highlight the need for dedicated lanes for minibuses and motorcycles and tailored traffic safety policies to mitigate reckless driving.

Date: 2024
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://techniumscience.com/index.php/socialsciences/article/view/11742 (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:tec:journl:ojs:11742

DOI: 10.47577/tssj.v63i1.11742

Access Statistics for this article

Technium Social Sciences Journal is currently edited by Tasente Tanase

More articles in Technium Social Sciences Journal from Technium Science
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Tasente Tanase ( this e-mail address is bad, please contact ).