Traffic rule violations of private bus drivers and bus crashes in Sri Lanka: a case-control study.
OBJECTIVE
To explore the association between self-reported traffic rule violations of private sector bus drivers and bus crashes in the Kandy district, Sri Lanka.


METHODS
We carried out a case-control study from August to September 2006. Cases were all the private bus drivers registered in the Kandy district and involved in crashes reported to the police between November 2005 and April 2006 (n = 63). We included two control groups: the private bus drivers working on the same routes of the cases (n = 90; matched controls) and the drivers selected randomly from the other routes of the district (n = 111; unmatched controls). We used a self-administered questionnaire to collect data on the self-reported traffic rule violations and analyzed the association between the self-reported traffic rule violations and crashes using logistic regression.


RESULTS
The following variables showed significant associations with private bus crashes: illegal overtaking (matched controls, adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 14.78, unmatched controls, AOR = 1.04), taking passengers outside the bus bays (matched controls, AOR = 3.96, unmatched controls, AOR = 2.29), and overloading (matched controls, AOR = 10.26, unmatched controls, AOR = 1.93). However, we did not observe an association between high-speed driving and bus crashes matched controls, AOR = 1.22, unmatched controls, AOR = 0.81.


CONCLUSIONS
Traffic rule violations, such as illegal overtaking, overloading, and taking passengers outside the bus bays, are significant risk factors for private bus crashes in Sri Lanka.
Jayatilleke
Achala Upendra
AU
Department of Community and Global Health, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
Poudel
Krishna C
KC
Nakahara
Shinji
S
Dharmaratne
Samath D
SD
Jayatilleke
Achini Chinthika
AC
Jimba
Masamine
M
D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000328:Adult; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D018986:Motor Vehicles / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017149:Private Sector; D012307:Risk Factors; D013188:Sri Lanka; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires