• N I Omoke, O A Lasebikan, N O Onyemaechi, and N Ajali.
• Department of Surgery, Ebonyi State University/Federal Teaching Hospital, Ebonyi State, Abakaliki, Nigeria.
• Niger J Clin Pract. 2019 Jul 1; 22 (7): 971-976.

BackgroundAuto tricycle is an emerging common means of public transport in Nigeria. This study aimed to determine the scope and type of collisions and injuries from auto tricycles crashes in Nigeria, and identify potential areas for interventions to facilitate injury prevention.Patients And MethodsThis was a prospective study of all the patients with auto tricycle injuries that visited Emergency rooms of three Nigerian tertiary hospitals from 1st February 2015 to 31st July 2016.ResultsThere were 210 victims; auto tricycle - other vehicle collisions, lone auto tricycle collisions and auto tricycle- pedestrian collisions accounted for injuries in 67.2%, 19% and 13.8% of them respectively. Preponderance of collisions at nighttime (60%), and on intra-city roads (86.7%) was observed. The rate of severe injury was significantly higher on inter-city than intra-city roads (32.11% vs. 9.3%, P < 0.001), and in daytime than night time (16.7% vs. 6.0%, P < 0.043). The lower extremity (50%), head (38.6%) and upper extremity (30.4%) were the three top anatomical regions involved. The case fatality rate was 1.4%: head injury accounted for two-third of the mortality.ConclusionIn Nigeria, auto tricycle has come to stay as a means of public transport and vulnerable road users are not immune to auto tricycle related injuries and its associated morbidity and mortality. This calls for preventive strategies, based on the findings in this study, which may curb the menace of auto tricycle crash and resultant injuries.

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