Epidemiological study on the visual ability of official public transport drivers in Bamako

The aim of this work was to evaluate the public transport drivers’ visual driving ability in Bamako. We carried out a descriptive cross-sectional study from May 15 to July 15, 2013. The probabilistic method was used. 385 drivers were examined at the University Hospital of the Institute of Tropical Ophthalmology of Africa (IOTA). The average age was 44.69 years. 296 drivers (76.9%) were able to drive public transport vehicles. Among drivers over 50 years old, 42.5% are unfit for driving. Color vision was normal in 98.7 % of cases. Ametropia, cataract and neuropathies accounted for 48.5%, 25.1% and 17.5% respectively, of the causes of impaired vision of drivers. According to European legislation, official transport drivers must be subject to periodic eye examinations. In the absence of such measures in Malian legislation, 42.5% of drivers over 50 years old are unfit to drive. The improvement of road safety requires the renewal and application of the texts for the delivery and renewal of the driver’s license of public transport drivers.