AN ASSESSMENT OF EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION IN ROAD TRAFFIC ACCIDENT AMONG COMMERCIAL DRIVERS

ABSTRACT

This study was carried out to assess emergency communication in road traffic accident among commercial drivers in Zaria with a view to ascertaining the preference given to communication in road traffic accident in the study area. In this regard, the study aimed at finding out the level of awareness of Federal Road Safety Corps‟ (FRSC) emergency communication channels among commercial drivers as well as assessing the functionality of the said emergency channels. It also sought to find out the processes that emergency communication goes through before rescue can take place. The study adopted the media richness theory as well as a contextualization of Harold Lasswell‟s model of communication within the confines of emergency communication. The media richness theory holds that communication channels vary in their capacity to enable users exchange meaning. Therefore communication channels should match the tasks they are used for. Data for the study was collected via a mixed method. First was an in depth interview with the head of operations FRSC, Zaria unit command. Second was a survey of commercial drivers as 400 questionnaires were issued to them using convenience sampling. The findings show that low preference was given to communication. There is a low knowledge of FRSC‟s emergency communication channels among the study population and that knowledge of the numbers does not determine usage of the numbers. It was also discovered that the numbers were functional and that emergency calls undergo at least three stages before a standby team embarks on a rescue. The study recommends that FRSC should take multiple approaches in publicizing their emergency channels and also that the processes that emergency communication undergoes should be shortened so as to make impact.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

Irrespective of where one lives, mobility is essential. The reasons for mobility can range from social interactions to the exchange of goods and services. Therefore, whatever its purpose, mobility is fundamental to human beings and it is this fundamentality that led man to search for safer, more convenient and instantaneous modes of transportation. The era of traveling on foot and the use of animals to pull carts and carriages gave way to the use of ships, automobiles and airplanes for movement. Thus through the years there was a tremendous revolution in the mode of transportation and such revolution is continuing.

One of the most utilized and most beneficial modes of transportation in many countries is road transportation. In Nigeria, about 80% of freight movement takes place on the road (FRSC Digest 2011 in Ukoji 2014).Ofoegbu (2013) corroborates this by noting that about 85% of passenger and freight movement in Nigeria is done on the roads. This makes road transportation an important factor in social and economic development of the country. However, this means of transportation is not without its attendant problems and it has led to certain consequences on the countries that benefit from it. Road Traffic Accident (RTA) is one of the problems associated with road transportation. Road traffic accident is collision involving one or more vehicles or a moving vehicle and a stationary vehicle/object or pedestrian resulting in deaths, personal injury or damage to vehicle or loss of physical property (OECD/ITF, 2014). Road Traffic Accidents (RTA‟s) are increasingly recognized as posing momentous problems worldwide as it constitutes a major public health challenge and also creates social and economic problems for countries and societies (Pedan, Scurfield, Sleet, Mohan, Hyder, Jarawanet al2004).

According to the World Health Organization (WHO, 2009) on a global scale, road traffic accident is responsible for an estimated 1.3 million deaths yearly. In Nigeria, the reported accident cases in 2013 were 13,583. The number of fatalities from the crashes was 6,450 (OECD/ITF, 2014). Low and middle income countries have higher RTA fatality rates (21.5 and 19.5 per 100,000 populations, respectively) than high income countries (10.3 per 100,000).The deaths are onlya microcosm of what actually happens. The bigger part is that RTA injures and disables approximately 50 and 20 million people and 80% of all deaths from injuries occur in low and middle income countries (Commission for Global Road Safety, 2008). Again, from the economic perspective, the consequence of crashes is estimated to be 1% and 3% of gross national product of world‟s countries reaching a total of over $500 billion (WHO, 2011). In this regard, a World Bank study has shown that the economic development of regions and nations is associated with an increase in the number of injuries and deaths from road traffic crashes (Koptis& Copper, 2005).

Substantial empirical evidences indicate that three quarters of RTA deaths are among men and that the highest impact is in the economically active group (15- 44 years), thus hampering efforts at sustainable development (WHO, 2013; CDC, 2004; Ediagbini et al 2011; Yamuragiye et al, 2013; Department of Transport, 2009). In this regard, WHO (2013) predicted that injuries from road traffic accidents (RTA‟s) will be one of the leading causes of disability and mortality among the most productive segment of the world‟s population by 2020. Similarly, by 2030 unless action is taken globally, RTA‟s will become the 5th leading cause of death surpassing HIV/AIDS, malaria, hypertensive heart disease and lung cancers.

From the foregoing, a number of countries have come up with measures to tackle RTA‟s especially in reducing the seriousness of injuries for victims and saving lives. Paramount among these measures is an emergency response that is facilitated by communication. It has since been established that individuals and societies cannot do without communication. Thus it can be said that communication is fundamental to human beings as it undergirds communities and organizations which consist of different individuals. Hence over time the modes of communication have also been completely transformed. Therefore as the modes of transportation were revolutionized, so also were the modes of communication.

According to Rodrigue, Comtois and Slack (2006) the growth of telecommunications is closely related with the growth of railways and international shipping in the sense that continental rail and telegraphic networks were often laid simultaneously. However, the era of telegraphs has given way to new systems of communication. The dawn of new communication technologies have redefined communication from one way monologue to interactive modes with immediate feedback, thus bridging space and time.

Ngamy and Kamtache, (2010) noted that time is vital to emergency situations. In the event of an accident, time is needed to notify relevant agencies, time to manage the emergency, time to arrive at the scene and time to scoop and run or administer first aid as the case may be. Thus, the polymorphous nature of what has to be done to guarantee survival makes time rare, elusive, precious and golden in emergency situations. In this vein, RTA handbook (2009) cited Cowley (1961) as saying that casualties will have lesser chance of survival if they are not given definitive care within one hour of the accident. The time taken to extricate the casualties of RTA‟s should not be more than 15 minutes. If time is to be utilized, then instant communication is imperative in emergency situations.

Studies done globally have suggested that there are a lot of preventable deaths from road crashes before arrival at the hospital. Thus, the importance of quick notification about a crash and evacuation of victims cannot be overemphasized (Mock, Nii-Amon-Kotei, Maier, 1997; Hussain, 1994 in WHO, 2004). In this regard it can be said that perhaps nowhere is the demand for rapid and efficient communication more critical than in emergency situations. Emergency communication is a critical communication that should be relied on at all times. Sander (2011) averred that the need for emergency communication includes so many circumstances, one of which is road traffic accident. It should include voice and non voice calls, pictures and videos, depending on the nature of the emergency. It requires that there be constant access to such communication and information between emergency service providers and the public and vice versa.

In the US and some South American countries, 911 is the emergency number to dial for immediate response in the event of an accident. In the UK 999, in a number of European Union countries it is 112. A host of other countries have different emergency telephone numbers which allows a caller to contact emergency services for immediate help. A national emergency number makes the rescue process faster because the people know the numbers and call them easily in emergencies. These unified numbers guarantee that all relevant rescue agencies are warned and involved at the same time. However, in Nigeria different emergency numbers exist. A look at the emergency services in Nigeria shows that these services are provided by government agencies. The agencies include but are not limited to Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Police and Fire Service. These agencies have different phone numbers which operate according to states and localities. In April 2014, Nigerian Monitor reported that Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC) had harmonized all emergency numbers to 112. However as the report noted, a number of modalities still needs to be put in place before it can function appropriately (Nigerian Monitor, 2014). In this regard, the local varied numbers which are mostly 11 digit numbers are still functional. Besides having different numbers, these emergency service providers do not have the same communication strategies and channels for communication in emergencies.

In this vein, London Borough of Barking and Dagenham said „The first casualty of war is the truth and the first casualty of any major incident is communication‟ (London Borough in Nemeth and Somos, 2005).Reckers, Delaney and Wilson (2008) noted that communication teams may be small but communication is an integral part of emergency management that can easily turn to an issue especially if neglected. Again, Ryan (2010) stated that although the consequences of communication around an emergency are hard to measure yet it is evident that it plays a crucial role in emergency management. Hence there is need for a well structured system of communication within the organizational framework of emergency responders, between the organization and its public(s) and from the public to the organization. It has been established that communication is vital in any society and that even under normalnonemergencycircumstances; effective communication undergirds almost all of public health practice. Consequently, Badr (2009) stated that communication is significant to public health and it plays a pivotal role in promoting core public health objective. These objectives include promoting health and preventing diseases which leads to an improvement in the quality of life. It therefore follows that communication plays an important role in attenuating the consequences of road traffic accidents.

1.2         STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The chain of survival of accident victims starts at the scene of the accident. The quick arrival of an emergency response team is an important factor in reducing adverse health consequence. However, CLEEN Foundation (2010) noted that every year more and more Nigerians die as a result of failure of emergency communication services in mobilizing aid to victims of RTA‟s. It has been argued that communication is a cross cutting issue that should be given due consideration at various levels across different sectors. But the structure for integrating communication and its uses across various sectors is yet to be fully realized and properly utilized (BBC, 2012). Consequently, if communication is not given proper consideration in emergency, a longer time will be taken to extricate accident victims and this will lead to moredeaths from treatable conditions. To buttress this point, Ediagbini, Delia, Aminu, andShehu (2011) in their work on chest trauma in Zaria between 2008 and 2010 found thatthere was 31hours 40 minutes and 12 seconds between the time of accident and admission of victim in the hospital.

In Nigeria, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) is saddled with the responsibility of safety on the roads. The mission of the Corps is to Regulate, Enforce and Coordinate all Road Traffic and Safety Management activities. One amongst their operational delivery approach is the provision of prompt rescue services and attention to road traffic accident victims. It has been established that communication is instrumental in providing information about accidents from the public to the organization. Hence FRSC has emergency communication channel(s) through which the public can reach it in case of an emergency. However the processes that emergency communication goes through before rescue is not clear and whether or not the public is aware of these channel(s) and the functionality of the said channel(s) is not certain.

1.3         AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The aim of the study is to ascertain the preference given to communication in road traffic accident in Zaria through the following objectives:

1. To find out the level of awareness of FRSC‟s communication channels among commercial drivers in Zaria.

2. To assess the functionality of FRSC‟s emergency communication channels in Zaria.
3. To ascertain the priority commercial drivers give to communication in road traffic accident.
4. To ascertain the processes that emergency communication undergoes before rescue.

1.4         RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1.What is the level of awareness of FRSC‟s emergency communication channels among commercial drivers in Zaria

2. What is the level of functionality of these emergency communication channels?
3. What prioritydo commercial drivers give to communication in road traffic accident?
4. What processes does emergency communication undergo before rescue?

1.5         SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

In Nigeria, the unavailability of other modes of transportation like the rail has made road transport the most utilized for both passenger and freight movement. There are many accidents on the road and the victims require prompt care. Before any medical care can be given professionally, communication is important, hence the relevance of studying emergency communication. However studies on road traffic accident seen so far have focused on causes and prevention of accidents while those on emergency communication focus on natural disasters and building operable systems (Aliyu, 2002, Sumaila, 2013, Akinkpelu, 2007, Ukoji, 2013, Owolabi and Ekechi, 2014, Souley and Edemennang, 2013). None of the studies seen so far focused on emergency communication as it has to do with road traffic accident in the study area; therefore this study intends to fill that gap. Also, the study of emergency communication has gained currency in other parts of the world. However, little is known about the communication of emergency and the lives saved in Nigeria as a result of such communication. Therefore, this study is significant in that it would provide insight into emergency communication in the study area and it will be instrumental in reemphasizing the importance of communication for timely rescue of accident victims. Hence, agencies like National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) will have basic ideas on how to improve upon their services. The study will also be a reference point for other researchers and students who would conduct related studies.

1.6         SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

The study was carried out in Zaria and thecommunicationchannels of FRSC in Zaria are peculiar to Zaria and given the method of data collection,generalizing the study is not possible. Again, the study is limited to knowing the preference given to communication in road traffic accident in Zaria. Thus consideration will not be given to other factors that are relevant to emergency situations other than communication. Also the study will focus on commercial drivers only.According to FRSC planning advisory unit, between 2007 and 2010 minibuses caused 30% of total road traffic accidents in Nigeria and 40% of deaths nationwide, hence the choice of commercial drivers (FRSC planning unit analysis, 2012 in Chidoka 2012).The study is also limited by an inability to get the exact population of commercial drivers. Also a number of the drivers did not want to be part of the study because of their misgivings about the FRSC; these drivers may have had valid information which will have enriched the study.

1.7 DEFINITION OF KEY TERMS

The terminologies used in this study are

1. i. Commercial Drivers: commercial vehicles are those vehicles that are used for carrying

passengers or goods. Hence commercial drivers are those who drive different types of vehicles

that carry either people and or goods in exchange for money. In this context, commercial drivers are those that drive buses or taxi carrying passengers from Zaria to other states and localities.

ii.Emergency: for the purpose of this work emergency is an unexpected event that has negative

consequence   and  is   strictly  confined  to   road  traffic  accidents.   To   be  more   specific,  the emergency communication will be of the accidents that happen interstate (i.e. from Zaria en route other localities).

iii.Emergency Communication:Emergency communication is the dissemination of information on a situation that is life threatening with negative consequence. In this case, emergency communication is regarded as a type of communication.

Processes: The term processes as is found in research question four refers to the stages that emergency call undergoes before actual rescue takes place. These stages will give a picture of how long it takes between a call and embarking on a rescue. However the study does not attempt to measure the exact time it takes between an emergency call and actual rescue.

 

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