Road safety in Nigeria: unravelling the challenges, measures, and strategies for improvement

Stakeholders play a crucial role in ensuring the smooth design and implementation of policies worldwide. This research presents the results of three focus groups carried out with stakeholders from different transport ministries and agencies involved in road safety in Nigeria. It aimed to understand their perception of road safety in Nigeria through discussing the road safety situation, measures, and strategies for improvement. Results showed that poor road design, organisation and implementation of road safety legislation, road user behaviour and inadequate research were impeding the improvement of road safety in Nigeria. Amongst the road safety measures discussed, public education and information campaigns were rated by each stakeholder group as very effective and easy to implement despite this not being supported by the wider literature. However, there were some variations in perception regarding the effectiveness of measures such as traffic control, road design and maintenance. Improving the road safety situation in Nigeria would require more concerted effort and an overall system-based policy reform involving both government and road users. The results of this study will contribute to and provide research evidence-based recommendations needed to design and develop integrated road safety policies and sustainable implementation strategies in Nigeria and other developing countries.

Automated summary

The study highlights the challenges facing road safety improvement in Nigeria, including poor road design, organization and enforcement of legislation, road user behavior, and inadequate research. Stakeholders generally view public education and information campaigns as highly effective and easy to implement measures.