Assessment of Road Safety Conditions at Rural Market Access Roads in Oyo State

Rural market access roads in Oyo State, South West Nigeria, serve as critical economic arteries connecting farming communities to regional markets, yet their road safety conditions have received minimal systematic assessment. This study assesses road safety conditions at twelve rural market access roads in Oyo North and Oyo South LGAs. Road safety audits were conducted on each route using a standard road safety inspection checklist covering alignment, surface condition, roadside hazard clearance, traffic control devices, pedestrian facilities, and animal crossing provisions. Accident data for the five-year period 2019 to 2023 were compiled from Oyo State Traffic Management Authority records for the study routes. Traffic composition was observed through two-hour counts at each route's market junction. Results indicate that pedestrian facilities are absent on 83 percent of assessed road length. Adequate hazard clearance zones (minimum 1.5 m from edge of carriageway) are present on only 38 percent of length. Surface defects creating safety hazards (ruts deeper than 75 mm) are present on 61 percent of length. The mean accident rate on assessed roads is 2.8 per million vehicle-kilometres, significantly above a reference rural road rate of 1.1 in the south-western zone. The study recommends targeted road safety improvement investments at the five highest-risk locations, including surface repair, roadside clearing, and provision of pedestrian refuge areas at market entrance zones.

Keywords: road safety audit, rural market roads, accident rate, Oyo State, South West Nigeria