CULTURAL DIMENSION TO PUBLIC TRANSPORT SAFETY IN IBADAN, NIGERIA
Olusiyi IPINGBEMI Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Ibadan, Ibadan Nigeria
ALABI Emmanuel Durojaiye Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Ibadan, Ibadan Nigeria
Culture is an indispensable part of any society. The study examined the dimension of culture to the safety of public transportation in Ibadan metropolis. Both primary and secondary data were collected for the study. A pre-test questionnaire was administered on 222 professional interstate drivers who were randomly selected from the membership records kept by Nigerian Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in the selected motor parks. These were complemented with Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and Key Informants Interviews (KII). Secondary information was sourced from the literature, NURTW office at Olomi (Ibadan) and from the Trans-City Transport Company (TCTC) office in Ibadan. Findings indicated that 62.2% of the interstate drivers had driven in the last 10 years, 68.9% had no formal driving training and 98.6% were aware that other commercial drivers use charms such as 'Egbe', 'Ajabo' and 'Owo' while driving. Similarly, 58.1% believed that killing of duck, if not appeased, can result in road crashes, 49.1 % was of the opinion that transporting mortar without putting coin in it can lead to road crashes and 30.2% noted that carrying corpse without inserting palm fronds or leaves on the vehicle may result in road crashes. The study suggested further enlightenment and training programme on road safety for the interstate commercial drivers as well as the integration of formalized traditional road safety devices into national road safety policy.
Adelekan, O.I. (2016) Ibadan Diagnostic Report. Working Paper 4. Urban African Risk Knowledge. Ibadan.
Adeniji, K (1987). "Para- Transit Modes in Nigeria" International Quarterly on Urban Policy" Vol 4 Number 4, PP 339- 347
Adesanya, A. O., & Adeniji, S. A. (1998). Sustaining urban public transport in Nigeria: Critical issues and remedies. In P. Freeman, & C. Janet (Eds.) Urban transport policy: A sustainable development tool. Proceedings of the international conference CODATU VIII. September 21–25, Cape Town.
Alexander, J.C. and P. Smith (2001) ' The strong programmes in cultural theory' In: Tuner J.H. (ed) Handbook of Sociological Theory. Kluwer Academy Plenin Publisher, New York, 135-150.
Arosanyin, G.T and O. Ipingbemi (2004) Special Issues in Urban Transportation in Nigeria", in Van Chikolo (2004) ed. Perspectives on Urban Transportation in Nigeria., Zaria : Nigeria Institute of Transport Technology .Pp 294-311
Dake, K. (1992) 'Myths of nature; culture and the social construction of risk' Journal of Social Issues , 48,21-27.
Dixey, R.A. (1999) ' Fatalism, accident causation and prevention: issues for health promotion from an exploratory study in a Yoruba town, Nigeria' Health Education Research Theory and Practice, 14 (2) 197-208.
Factor, R. , Machalel, D. and G. Yari (2007) ' The social accident: A theoretical model and a research agenda for studying the influence of social and cultural characteristics on motor vehicle accidents' Accident Analysis and Prevention 39 , 914-921.
Filani, M. O. (1994) Transportation. In Filani, M.O. , F.O. Akintola and C.O. Ikporukpo (eds). Ibadan
Region. Rex Charles Publication, Ibadan.
Fourchard, L. (2003). Urban Slums Reports : the case of Ibadan, Nigeria. IFRA, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.
Geertz, C. (1973) The Interpretation of Culture: Selected Essays, Basic Books, New York.
Griffin, R. (2006) 'Ideology and Culture' Journal of Political Ideologies, 11 (1) 77-79
Irwin, J. (1997) ' Notes on the present status concept subculture' In Celder: K. and S. Thronton (ed) The Subculture Reader. Routledge: London, 66-70.
Kouabenan, D.R. (1998) ' Beliefs and the perception of risks and accidents' Risk Analysis , 18 (3), 243-252
Kouabenan, D.R. (2009) ' Role of belief in accident risk analysis and prevention ' Accident Analysis and Prevention 47, 756-776.
Kruglanski, A.W. and I. Ajzen (1983) 'Bias and error in Human Judgment' European Journal of Psychology, 13, 1-44.
Kupe ,R (1999) Culture: The Anthropologists Account. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Mattani, M. A. (1996) 'Public Issues, Human Behaviours and Cultural Designs' In: Mattani, M.A. and B.A. Thyer (ed). Findings Solutions to Social Problems: Behavioural Strategies for Change. America Psychological Association, Washington DC: 13-40.
Ogunsanya A.A (2004) Challenges for an efficient Urban Transportation system in Nigeria – Best Practices. Papers presented at the one-day Seminar on "Road Transportation in Urban Centre of Nigeria: A Case Study of Abuja" Organized by NEIC. The Presidency, Abuja.
Peltzer, K. and M. Renner (2003) 'Superstition, risk-taking and risk perception of accidents among South African Driver' Accident Analysis and Prevention, 35, 619-623.
Swidler, A. (1986) 'Culture in Action: Symbols and Strategies' America Sociological Review, 51, 273-286.