Prevalence of traffic rule infractions in Cali, Colombia, at sites where injury crashes occurred

• Published in: International journal of injury control and safety promotion Vol. 24; no. 2; pp. 158 - 164
• Main Authors: Gómez-Salazar, G.S., Bonilla-Escobar, F.J., Morales-Quintero, F.J., Fandiño-Losada, A., Santaella, J., Gonzalez, G., Gutierrez, M.I.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Taylor & Francis 01.06.2017; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Accidents, Traffic; Automobile drivers; Automobile Driving; Automobiles; Automotive engineering; Colombia - epidemiology; Crashes; Drivers; Government Regulation; Humans; infrastructure; Injuries; Motorcycles; Pedestrian bridges; Pedestrians; Prevalence; Promotion; Protective equipment; road safety; Safety; Streets; Traffic; traffic accident; Traffic accidents & safety; traffic collision; Videotape Recording; Wounds and Injuries; Colombia; government regulation; traffic accident; road safety; traffic collision; infrastructure
• ISSN: 1745-7300; 1745-7319
• DOI: 10.1080/17457300.2015.1080730

This study aim to determine the proportion of traffic rule infractions in Cali, Colombia, in places where a road traffic injury (RTI) occurred. Description of videotaping of sites where a person was injured in an RTI in 2009. Counts of road users and infractions were established for each road user group and were compared using a Z-test. They were found 13,491 users, distributed as follow: 8.9% were pedestrians, 4.6% cyclists, 24.6% motorcyclists, and 61.8% were automobile drivers. The most frequent traffic violation among motorcyclists was transiting on lines designated for other vehicles (55.2%). Among cyclists, the most frequent violations were transiting without a helmet (99.2%) and not wearing the designated vest (100%). Among pedestrians, crossing streets at prohibited places (77.3%), even at sites where a pedestrian bridge was present (72.7%), represented two common violations. Vulnerable road users committed more traffic infractions than automobile drivers (p < 0.001). High rates of traffic rule infractions among vulnerable road users were observed. Studies to better understand the occurrence of these behaviours and the promotion of effective interventions are warranted.