Perception to road risk among informal public transport operators in South Africa

Road traffic accidents remain an unfortunate offshoot of urban transport system. However, there exist limited knowledge on traffic risk and accidents among informal public operators (IPT). This study explored if IPT in Durban, South Africa are at risk of road accidents. Data for this study was sourced from the sample of 150 purposively selected IPT in Durban, South Africa. Samples were drawn from over five taxi ranks in the city. Focus was given to car and mini-bus (known as taxis) that ply within the city. Study findings revealed that age, marital status, and length of operator experience defines operators traffic risk perception. Results shown that traffic risk perception was significantly different between the levels of relationships, chi(2)(6) = 16.37, p =.012. Younger public transport operators had lesser values for safety wariness compared to older drivers. This calls for improved safety education among younger drivers in the city.