An In-Depth Analysis of the Causes of Road Accidents in Developing Countries: Case Study of Douala-Dschang Highway in Cameroon

This paper is aimed at identifying the risk factors that mainly contribute to reckless driving and other related causes of road accidents along the Douala-Dschang highway of Cameroon. The research work started with the collection of accident reports for 2018 and 2019 from security officials in charge of road safety and the police stations of the different localities included in the sample of the study. Three hundred and eighty-two (382) road accidents reports were collected and analyzed using the 2020 version logit regression model of XLSTAT. From these analyses, it appears that, of the 382 accidents recorded during this period, six factors were identified and classified as follows: causes of accidents related to speed and carelessness, location of the accident, type of vehicle at fault, day the accident occurred, time of the accident and the age of drivers involved. These results could contribute to reduce the gravity of accidents along the Douala-Dschang highway and develop other policies in the program for road safety. In addition, this study can as much as possible equally contribute to reorienting road construction trends and development techniques in our environment.

Implementation and Evaluation of Certain Properties of a Polymer Matrix Composite Material Reinforced by Fibrous Residues of <i>Saccharum officinarum</i>in View of an Applicability Orientation

This study examines the implementation and characterization of a polymer matrix composite material reinforced by sugarcane residues. The aim of the study is to enhance the abundantly produced sugarcane bagasse in the form of residues in the processing plants of said sugar cane. The composite material developed takes into account the size parameters and mass load rate of the reinforcement, the variations of which are between 2.5 mm and 4 mm respectively for the first parameter and 10% to 25% for the second. The load on the test tube during the test has a random orientation. The composite is polyester matrix. The cold compression moulding technique was used in the production of the various samples. Physical properties such as the rate of water absorption and the density of the composite are assessed. The three-point bending tests are carried out with the aim of inducing Young’s modulus from the elaborate samples. Analysis of physical properties shows that water absorption increases with the rate of residue load. The average water absorption rate of bagasse fibres is estimated at 8% for the 2.5 mm fiber size and 12% for the 4 mm fiber size for all composites. Mechanical characterization by bending tests reveals a fragile behavior of the samples tested. Young’s modulus decreases when the load rate of fibrous residues increases regardless of the size of the fibers.