Human Errors Contributing to Commercial Motorcycle Crashes in Tanzanian Cities

Abstract

Commercial motorcycles have become an important source of employment for young men in developing countries in response to 
the lack of employment opportunities in the formal sector. However, while in major cities, the risk is dreaded as fatal because motorcycles are frequently involved in deadly crashes; studies on human errors accounting for such crashes are inadequate. To underpin policies that promote road safety, this paper analyses human errors contributing to the commercial motorcycle crashes in cities of Tanzania. It is based on qualitative data collected through observations and focus group discussions in the cities of Dar es 
Salaam, Mbeya, and Arusha. The findings revealed that inexperienced riders, as evidenced by 17 risky tendencies, are responsible for the crashes involving commercial motorcycles. Most motorcycle crashes result from a lack of experience, which is linked 
to low cognitive ability (i.e., 8 out of 17), while low performance (i.e., 4 out of 17) is associated with a few motorcycle crashes. 
Subsequently, while failure to manage the riding task due to excessive speed and overloading leads to a significant number of 
crashes, reckless riding behaviours such as quickly evading road potholes, ignoring red lights, and neglecting riding tasks result in 
fewer crash incidents. Therefore, it is important to reintroduce comprehensive training programmes for novice motorcycle riders; 
commercial motorcycle employers should also value the task of riding and help the riders operate the enterprise on reasonable 
terms.