title: Road traffic injuries in Kenya: a survey of commercial motorcycle drivers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Motorcycle injuries contribute a substantial number of deaths and hospital admissions in Kenya. There is paucity of data to inform prevention strategies to address the issue. Therefore, the current study sought to explore the characteristics of 2 and 3-wheeler related road traffic injuries (RTIs) in Kenya.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional survey of motorcycle drivers involved in a RTI in the preceding 3 months was conducted in 11 urban and rural sites in Kenya's Thika town through face- to -face structured interviews. Drivers' demographic information, comprehensive crash characteristics and socioeconomic impact of injury data were collected.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 200 drivers injured, 98% were male, with average age of 28.4 years (SD±6.6). Of these drivers, 33% were not wearing any protective equipment. Negligence was the most reported cause of crash (33%), followed by slippery roads (21.0%) and speeding (17.5%). The risk of sustaining a bodily injury was 1.3 times higher in drivers who had not received prevention education compared to those who had received such education. People injured at night were 5 times more likely to sustain a bodily injury compared to those injured during the day. Only 8.5% of the drivers reported the injury incident to the police.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Majority of motorcycle related injuries in Thika town occur among young, productive, working-age male drivers. A high proportion of injuries are due to negligence on riding while not wearing any protective equipment compounded by lack of injury prevention education. Initiatives to foster helmet wearing, provision of high-quality affordable helmets, responsible driving and advocacy for stronger legislation, are recommended.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Machakos Level 5 Hospital, Machakos, Kenya ; Department of Medical Physiology, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya ; AMEND, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Duncan Mwangangi
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Matheka
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Physiology, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya ; Centres for Health and Education Programmes, Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: Faraj Alkizim
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Omar
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Chebiwot
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kipsaina
authors.affiliation: AMEND, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Witte
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006260:Head Protective Devices / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007630:Kenya; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009049:Motorcycles; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Africa; boda-boda; negligence; speeding; young males