Determinants of awareness about road accidents and knowledge of traffic rules: empirical evidence from Khulna City in Bangladesh

This paper explores the social, demographic, economic, and other relevant determinants of road accident victims’ awareness and knowledge regarding traffic rules. Data were collected from 200 victims of road traffic accidents (RTAs) in Khulna City, Bangladesh, using face-to-face surveys and inter- views. Using probit model estimation, seven factors were found to be statistically significant: gender, training experience, education, access to media, previous involvement in road accidents, residence in urban areas, and high-skilled jobs. The results show that victims with training experience, higher education, access to media, and previous road accident experiences are more aware of road accidents and have learned adequate traffic rules. Victims who live in rural areas or have low-skilled jobs are less likely to have knowledge of traffic rules than those who live in urban areas or those with high-skilled jobs. In addition, males are likely to be more aware of RTAs than females.