Effect of safety education on knowledge of and compliance with road safety signs among commercial motorcyclists in Uyo, Southern Nigeria.

OBJECTIVE Compliance with road safety signs is important in the reduction of motorcycle accidents. The aim of this study was to implement health education intervention and assess its impact on the knowledge of and compliance with road safety signs among commercial motorcyclists in Uyo, Southern Nigeria. METHOD This was an intervention study among motorcyclists in Uyo, Southern Nigeria, with a control group from a similar town. The instrument of data collection was a semi-structured interviewer administered questionnaire. Subjects were selected through multistage sampling method. Baseline data on compliance to road safety signs was collected from both groups. Motorcyclists in the intervention group were given education on the importance of compliance to road safety signs. Data was subsequently collected from both groups 3 months post intervention and analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 11. RESULT A total of 200 respondents participated in the study, 100 from each group. Following intervention, respondents with good knowledge score increased from 21% at baseline to 82% at 3 months post intervention in the intervention group (p<0.05) and from 19% to 21% in the control group. Compliance score in the intervention group increased from 15% to 70% (p<0.05) and from 12% to 18% in the control group. CONCLUSION A significant increase in compliance to road safety signs was recorded among motorcyclists in the intervention group after safety education. All motorcyclists should therefore be given education on road safety signs as this will improve compliance and lead to safer road use among them.