Modelling public bus transport accident and casualty severity in Ghana

Abstract

The current safety concerns with buses/minibuses (public transport) in both developed and developing countries have warranted a renewed interest in bus/minibus safety research. Prior to this, there was a paucity of research in this domain especially in developed countries where the safety associated with buses was deemed adequate. In this study, we examined the factors that influence bus/minibus accident severity in Ghana using bus/minibus accident data from 2011-2015. We estimated the probability of bus/minibus accident severity by fitting generalised ordered logit models. The findings revealed that the day of the week, the presence of road median, adverse weather, daylight condition, good road terrain, the presence of traffic controls, the manner of collisions, and where drunk driving was not involved are associated with elevated bus/minibus accident severity. Conversely, vehicle type, road shoulder condition, accident location and absence of traffic control reduce the severity of bus/minibus accidents. The research, policy, and practice implications of the findings are elucidated.