Driver Perceptions, Practices, and Behaviors in Organized Commercial Road Transport in Cross River State, Nigeria.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51459/jostir.2025.1.2.014Keywords:
Drivers’ perception, drivers’ safety compliance, drivers’ driving/operational efficiency, drivers’ behaviours, drivers’ trainingAbstract
Commercial road passenger transport companies in Nigeria battle with numerous operational and safety challenges which have been linked to drivers’ driving behaviours. This study aimed to assess the perceptions of commercial drivers regarding operational efficiency and safety compliance, and how these perceptions influence actual driving practices. Using structured questionnaires, a cross-sectional survey was conducted among drivers from five major transport companies in Calabar metropolis. The findings revealed that most drivers hold generally positive perceptions regarding the importance of operational efficiency and safety compliance, with average mean scores of 3.54 and 3.70 respectively, leaning toward disagreement with negative statements. However, these perceptions do not always translate into consistent safe and efficient practices, pointing to gaps in awareness particularly regarding environmental impacts such as fuel consumption and emissions. The regression results demonstrated significant association between drivers’ perceptions on safety compliance and operational efficiency on their actual behaviours (R = 0.690; R² = 0.477; p < 0.001), confirming that beliefs about operational efficiency and safety compliance together account for a substantial proportion of variance in driving behaviour. The study underscores the need for commercial transport companies to develop tailored, post-licensure driver training programs that not only address knowledge gaps but also incorporate feedback mechanisms to align drivers’ perceptions with safe and efficient practices.
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