Exploring the nexus between risk perception, driving tasks perception, and road safety attitudes among oil and gas tanker drivers

Road accidents globally have an 18 % fatality rate per 100,000 population, with significant regional variations, particularly affecting Africa. The increasing frequency of oil and gas tanker accidents in Nigeria exemplifies this trend, highlighting the need to explore the relationship between risk perception, driving task perception, and road safety attitudes among Nigerian oil and gas tanker drivers. This study utilised a sample of 375 drivers, with 311 valid questionnaires analysed, reflecting consistent and comprehensive responses. Exploratory factor analysis identified three key factors, with factor loadings ranging from 0.580 to 0.915. In contrast, while confirmatory factor analysis validated these constructs χ²/df = 1.285, CFI = 0.996, TLI = 0.971, NFI = 0.984, GFI = 0.995, AGFI = 0.949, RMSEA = 0.048, and SRMR = 0.040. Structural equation modelling further assessed the relationships between drivers’ risk perception, driving task perception, and road safety attitudes, revealing a positive correlation between Risk Perception and Road Safety Attitude (β = 0.611, p < 0.05). There is a positive correlation between Risk Perception and Road Safety Attitude (β = 0.611, p < 0.05) and a positive correlation between Non-Driving Activities impacting road safety (β = 0.145, p < 0.05). The study found that mid-career drivers, particularly those with limited educational backgrounds, demonstrated specific attitudes and behaviours related to road safety. These findings underscore the need for targeted interventions that address risk perception and driving tasks to improve safety attitudes. Recommendations include tailored training programs for different age groups and experience levels, awareness campaigns to enhance adherence to traffic rules, and continuous monitoring of risk perception and road conditions to facilitate adaptive safety interventions.