Behaviours of Drivers on Zambian Roads: A Cross Sectional Study

Objectives: The main objective of this paper is to document drivers' behaviours most prevalent in Zambia in order to inform the development and implementation of road safety interventions to deal with those behaviours. Methods: A driver behavior survey adapted from the Manchester driver behavior survey was used to interview 879 motor vehicle drivers. Actual driver behavior was documented through direct observations at strategic points. Results: Of the 879 drivers interviewed, 29.4% said they disregarded speed limit on a motor way, and 37.0% used a mobile phone while driving., 37.7% of the drivers said they underestimated the speed of an oncoming vehicle when overtaking and about a third (29.2%) of the drivers said they attempted to overtake someone they had not noticed to be signaling right turn. The most commonly observed potentially risky behaviours were: not wearing seat belts (45.5% among drivers and 61.1% among front seat passengers respectively), not stopping at pedestrians crossing while pedestrians were waiting to cross (44.5%), not dimming lights to on-coming traffic (29.1%), and overtaking another motor vehicle on solid lines (28.8%). Conclusion: This study has demonstrated that adverse driver behaviour is prevalent in Zambia, implying the need to focus more on strategies that impact on modifying driver behaviours.