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Investigation into the Understanding of Traffic Signs, Symbols and Safety Rules among Drivers in Southern Nigeria

_ ABSTRACT Aims: This study examines the understanding of traffic signs and symbols as a safety measure towards accident reduction among drivers in Southern Nigeria. It investigated the understanding of traffic signs and symbols by drivers in Nigeria with regards to their personal characteristics such as age, educational background, and driving experience and also determined the major factors influencing the high rate of road traffic accidents in Nigeria. Study Design: Investigation into the level of knowledge of drivers in understanding traffic signs and symbols in Southern Nigeria. Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted in Southern Nigeria, from September, 2017 to December, 2017. Methodology: 600 questionnaires were administered within the various city parks in Anambra, Enugu, Delta, and Lagos states but 476 of the respondents participated. A factor, and general guides are 43%, 53.66%, and 46.4% respectively. From the statistical -analysis of the findings, there is significance prove that age, driving experience, and educational background play an important role in drivers’ understanding of traffic signs and symbols. Conclusion: It is recommended that drivers are properly trained and sensitized on the correct meaning of traffic signs and symbols. The body concerned for issuing a driver’s license should carefully test the drivers’ knowledge before issuing a driver’s license and also traffic law court should be established for the prosecution of defaulters.


INTRODUCTION
The search for greener pasture has made it necessary for a man to move from one place to another. In the olden days, the movement was more or less through narrow paths, mainly on foot, but with the invention of modern means of transportation, increase in the population of humans, construction of roads for vehicles, and pedestrian usage, there exist some unavoidable negative consequences of movement in which accidents is one. It is obviously clear that the number of vehicles on Nigerian roads had increased in recent years due to technological and economic development; incidentally this has equally increased the number of accidents and fatalities.
However, traffic control devices such as traffic signs, pavement markings and traffic signals are vital parts of highway system used to convey safety messages [1]. They are used to provide crucial information in a short time to support safe driving; but the success depends on their comprehensibility by the drivers [2]. Traffic signs use colours, shapes, and words to convey information. Traffic control devices aim to regulate and control traffic by providing information about the road and its environment to road users [3]. However, traffic control devices cannot serve their intended purposes effectively if the information concerning safe driving that is encoded in the devices are not properly understood by the drivers and other road users [4].
The rate of accident in Nigeria is worrisome especially during festive periods. Road traffic accident in Nigeria is rising geometrically. There is hardly a day that goes by without a record of road accident in Nigeria. Road signs, markings, and signals, amongst others, are meant to guide road users and ensure their safety. Most of the road signs alert the road users on importance of road conditions such as dangerous double bend, sharp bend ahead, failed or narrow bridge etc.
Also, road markings show lane divisions and lane discipline, stop lines and pedestrian crossing. Computerized traffic lights indicate when and when not to move, while traffic control signals are displayed by traffic officers to ensure free-flow of vehicular and human traffic. The essence is to reduce the rate of road traffic crashes on the roads. In spite of these, accidents continue to occur, and somehow tend to be on the increase. This may be attributed to the poor condition of our roads, over speeding, recklessness of drivers, lack of/poor understanding of road signs, road cautions and other road safety devices. Thus, the cardinal factors influencing the high rate of road traffic accident in Nigeria really seems to revolve around human errors. It is on this note that the researcher sought to explore the level of safety knowledge, understanding/ comprehension of traffic signs and symbols by drivers. Also,to identify the major causes of road traffic accidents and proffer solutions for prevention. Arshad et al [5] studied the understanding of drivers' nonverbal communication of traffic signs and symbols in Malakand District. Their findings showed that only 25% of drivers hailing from District Dir Lower, while more than 70% of derivers belong to district Swat have understanding and recognition of roadside signs and symbols. It was concluded also that age and driving experience were factors that contributed to lack understanding of roadside signs and symbols in the area.
Wontorczyk and Gaca [6] in their study on the relationship between Drivers' Personal Characters and Non-Standard Traffic Signs Comprehensibility explore the level of comprehensibility of four different types of nonstandard signs. The relationship between the level of comprehensibility of these signs and personality traits of the drivers were also studied. It was found that a total of 369 drivers were tested using a questionnaire method. The researchers found that symbolic signs, unlike symbolic and text ones, are much better comprehended by drivers. Men comprehend the significance of non-standard symbolic regulatory signs better than women.
According to Odibo and Okpako [7] on their study of awareness and Implication of Road Traffic Signs among Pedestrians in Warri Metropolis, Delta State found out that pedestrians in Warri metropolis have the awareness of road traffic signs but they don't have good knowledge of their meaning. Significantly, male pedestrians were found to be more aware and knowledgeable on road traffic signs than female. They concluded that Road safety officers should help to carry out awareness campaign and orientation regularly to all pedestrians through the media, to create awareness of road traffic signs and their applications.
Road traffic signs and symbols originated in Rome in the Middle Ages when milestones were used to indicate distances in the Roman Empire. The traffic signs were discovered to be relevant at the advent of automobiles and this prompted Italian Touring Clubs to design the road sign system in 1895 [8]. Nigeria adopted the road sign system in 1970s to ensure safety in Nigerian highways. It was proposed that the traffic signs and symbols must be visible, illuminating and relevant [9]. The Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, in the 2008 revised edition of the Highway Code, notes that road traffic signs in Nigeria bear same characteristics with those of the developed countries. On categorization, (FRSC) groups the sign as follows: traffic signs, signal signs, road signs and pavement markings.
In the quest to drive home the meaning and ensure effective understanding of traffic signs and symbols, many countries have adopted pictorial sign or otherwise simplified and standardized their traffic control devices to facilitate international travel where language difference could create a barrier. To help in enhancing traffic safety, such pictorial traffic device use safety symbols and signs in place of words [10].
Many researchers have tried to proffer solution that will better the understanding of traffic signs and symbols among drivers [11]. Opined that research concerning traffic sign comprehension dates back to 1966 and that early studies focused on evaluating users' understanding levels of traffic signs and most of the results indicated that the general understanding performance was not satisfactory.
In their own study opined that age, gender [12], education and income played major roles in determining drivers understanding of traffic signs and symbols while marital status shared no significant effect [3]. In another study was of the opinion that age, education and driving experience played prominent roles in understanding of traffic signs while marital status had no effect on the understanding.
In Nigeria, the traffic signs and symbols used on our highways are published in the National Road Traffic Regulation (FGN 2004) and the Highway Code [13]. Many studies carried out here in Nigeria have proved that average percent of drivers does not even understand the traffic signs and symbols talk more of adhering to it.
A study in Akure, Ondo state by [3] indicated that the average percentage of drivers understanding of traffic signs (warning and regulatory/prohibiting signs) was 67%, the average percentage of drivers understanding of mandatory signs was 58%. Another study carried out in the same state reported that only 28.5% of motorcyclists understood traffic signs and symbols and adhere to traffic regulations [14]. A study on the knowledge of and attitude towards road traffic codes among commercial motorcycle riders in Eastern Nigeria showed that about two-third of the respondents had poor knowledge of road codes and safety [15]. Poor knowledge of safety measures have been reported by various authors in western Nigeria [16,17]. From the point of view of different authors and researchers, Nigerian drivers lack safety knowledge and poor understanding of traffic signs which may be one of the contributors of road traffic accident in Nigeria.
The aspect of the use of traffic signs and symbols as a safety measure has been an area of interest by many researchers since the invention of vehicles. The interest covered many areas which include areas of safety, comprehension and design, etc. This research conducted a proper investigation on the understanding of traffic signs and symbols among drivers in Southern-Nigeria and indicates the particular major factors of road accidents in Nigeria. This is quite necessary owing to the fact that there is a general public perception which is also supported by [18], that commercial drivers in Nigeria do not have a satisfactory level of comprehensibility of traffic signs and symbols and often this is thought to be a major contribution to road accidents.
A number of experts have suggested several causes of road traffic accident to broadly include the following factors: mechanical factor, environmental factors and human factors but with human factor most of all [19][20][21]. However, why poor knowledge of /lack of comprehension after many years of driving experience? What is the particular factor from the human factor that has been leading other factors causing the incessant accident on the roads which this research will answer at the end of its study?

METHODOLOGY
The method of data collection was used in this research. It was a self-administered questionnaire which was shared and completed by both commercial and private drivers. The questionnaire used was divided into twelve sections with the first section made up of short answer questions designed to give detailed information about the drivers' demographic characteristics such as the gender, age, sex, marital status and educational background. The second, third and fourth sections gave information about the driver's characteristics like driving experience, early training/duration of training and possession of valid driver's license respectively .The fifth to ninth sections were designed to assess the knowledge /comprehension of traffic control devices by the drivers. Here 27 multiple choice questions of different traffic signs made up of ten regulatory signs, nine warning signs, three different meanings of traffic light and five different road markings were tested. Lastly, section ten to twelve assessed the knowledge of driving under special conditions, speed limit/mechanical factor, general guides for drivers and assessment of FRSC on enforcement of road traffic laws which comprise eight, five, seven and two miscellaneous questions respectively.
The Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS), version 20 was employed to analyse the data obtained from the respondents. Chi-square was used to test statistical significant relationship of individual drivers relating characteristics and traffic control devices comprehension. From the decision rule, according to SPSS, if the p-value is less than 0.05, the result is showing there is significant effect. But if the p-value is greater than 0.05, then the result is showing there is no significant effect.
However, to crosscheck the p-value significance also, the estimated test chi square expected and observed cell frequencies were compared using the general mathematical formular for testing cross statistical analysis expressed by equation 2 and 3 respectively.
Where: To avoid voluminous manual calculation and cumbersomeness of the work, the statistical package was used for instant expected chi square.
According to Kothari [2], the observed chi-square value was compared with the critical chi-square or table value (using the table) with (r-1) x (c-1) degree of freedom as appendices in standard statistics books and used as a benchmark to make a decision. simply shows no effect.

Result Analysis
The results of the study are presented in tables below for clarity.
The summary of the socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents are presented in Table 1. For gender status, out of 476 participants, 474(99.6%) were male and 2 (0.4%) were females are which shows that commercial  (20) years driving experience, while 45(9.5%) respondents had twenty-one years and above driving experience. Here, drivers with the least driving experience are many, that is 81(17.0%) for one (1) to five (5) years experience leaving the rest of 395(83%) with six(6) years to twentyone (21) and above. This indicates that majority are old enough in driving system to know what safety signs are. On the area of re-driving programme and sensitization, the result shows that infinitesimal number 3(0.6%) had re-driving programmes while the remaining 473(99.4%) did not attend despite the years of driving experience, which indicates that most drivers are yet to embrace the culture of re-driving training. This simply means that the drivers are ignorant of new codes and road guides for safety which can lead to severity of road traffic injuries.   Here, ten regulatory signs were evaluated for testing the drivers' knowledge. The results as presented in table 5 show that the signs which the drivers understood most are "speed limit" 79.2%, followed by "No U-turn" 76.7% and then "stop at intersection" 72.1% and the high percentage performance of these signs could be also attributed to the self-explanatory graphics in the signs. Those with poor knowledge are "No Overtaking" 41.0%, "No Horn" 41.2%, "No Stopping" 43.7%, "No Right Turn" 47.1% and "No Left Turn" 47.3% . The average percentage of correct answers of this study was 59% which shows that most of the drivers on our highways are yet to understand the regulatory signs and this indicates that the poor understanding of these signs prone the roads to accident. Table 6 shows that the result of drivers' knowledge of warning signs. A total of nine warning signs were evaluated in this study. The average percentage of correct answers of these signs was 64.2% which indicated that the understanding was not at all that excellent. The signs that were understood well were "school children crossing" 90.8%, "Round about" 88.7%, "Cross road/four way junction 68.3% and "Tjunction" 67.2%. This high percentage knowledge could be resulted to the self-explanatory graphics in the signs. The least understood warning signs were "dangerous double bend" 43.1% and "long grade dangerous hill" 45.8%. Poor understanding of this safety signs is also one of the major causes of road accident.

Statistical Analysis of Individual Relationship between Age, Educational Background, Driving Experience and Knowledge of Traffic Signs and Symbols
Eight selected signs and symbols were analyzed to investigate the relationship between the individual characteristics of drivers and their knowledge of traffic signs and symbols.

Statistical analysis of age and knowledge of traffic control devices
In the cross statistical analysis of age of the respondents and the knowledge of the selected traffic signs and safety guide, the result is shown in Table 13. From the decision rule, the p-value is less than 0.05 to some. By considering a 5% level of significance, the critical chi-square or tabulated value X 2 =9.488. The calculated chisquare values of some of the traffic control devices evaluated were higher than the critical value, indicating that there are reasons to believe that some of the variables have significant effect between age and safety knowledge except dangerous double bend, speed limit and alcohol consumption. This analysis shows that accident occurrence on sharp bends are caused by noncompliance of speed limit which may be attributed by alcoholic consumption.

Statistical analysis of educational background and knowledge of traffic control devices
In the cross statistical analysis of educational background of the participants and the knowledge of the selected traffic signs, the result is shown in Table 14. From the decision rule, the p-value is less than 0.05 almost in all. Also by considering a 5% level of significance, the critical chi-square or tabulated value X 2 =9.488. The calculated chi-square values of all the traffic signs evaluated were greater than the critical value showing that there are reasons to believe that most of the variables have significant effect between them except in alcoholic intake. These analysis shows that both educated and noneducated do take alcohol while on duty and we know the dangers of its negative effect.

Statistical analysis of driving experience and knowledge of traffic control devices
In the cross statistical analysis of driving experience of the participants and the knowledge of the selected traffic signs, the result is shown in Table 15. From the decision rule, the p-value is less than 0.05. In consideration for a 5% level of significance, the tabulated chi-square value X 2 = 9.488. The calculated chi-square values of most of the traffic signs evaluated were more than the critical chi-square value showing that there are reasons to believe that most of the variables have significant effect between driving experience and traffic signs comprehension excluding speed limit and alcoholic intake. This analysis shows more reasons why road traffic accidents in Nigeria are rising geometrically. Driving under the influence of alcohol and non speed limit compliance is a serious problem to maintain safety of lives and property on the roads.
The summary report of the cross-analysis shows that only the educational background, age and years of experience of the drivers had influenced the responses. The drivers with B.Sc and Higher National Diploma (HND) understood traffic signs more than the drivers with WAEC and OND. Similarly, the drivers with the age range of 36-40 and above do have a better understanding of traffic signs more than the younger ones. The drivers with driving experience of 16-20 years and 21 years & above do comprehend traffic signs easily and better than those with 1-5 years, 6-10 years, and 11-16 years' experience.

Conclusion
Generally, based on the findings of the study, the following conclusions are made: i. The level of safety knowledge and comprehension of traffic signs and symbols is very poor due to inadequate training and retraining programs for drivers ii.
The statistically significant relationship of individual driver's characteristics and traffic control comprehension and understanding showed that age, driving experience, and educational background play a major role. iii.
Excessive alcohol intake, over speeding that might result to wrong overtaking, is one of the factors leading to road accidents. iv.
Another factor for road accidents is poor understanding of traffic signs, lack of safety knowledge, and comprehension of safety signs which is contributed by possession of driver's license through the back door. v.
Lack of rest on duty and no co-driver for a long journey is also another factor of road accidents. It causes tiredness and sleeping while driving. vi.
Other factors as found in the study responsible for the incessant road accidents are the lack of adequate training of the drivers. vii.
In all, the main reason why many drivers had poor knowledge of road signs after many years of being on the road is corruption and inadequate examining of drivers knowledge of safety guides before issuing driver's license or wrong possession of driving license by the concerned body and non-prosecution of the defaulters by the traffic officers are the particular major factors from human factor influencing high rate of a road traffic accident in Nigeria.

Recommendations
The following recommendations were made by the researcher to curtail road accident in Nigeria.