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 Daily
Independent Online.
* Thursday, June 17, 2004.
To check carnage on our roads
A vehicle
conveying a newly wedded couple to a post - marital engagement in Osogbo,
Osun State suddenly careered off the road and somersaulted on the
slippery Ife-Ibadan Expressway, sometime ago. And when it was all over, the
couple along with the best man and the driver lay dead. This pathetic incident is by no
means exceptional.
Indeed, carnage on Nigeria roads has
become regrettably a recurring phenomenon. This is attributable to several factors. In the first place, our roads
have become death traps, some of those constructed during the time of
colonialism have not been rehabilitated. Those that were reconstructed were handled in haste,
and so they degenerated quite quickly. Majority of the Federal roads in particular need
serious attention, while state roads are just as bad. Anybody traveling on Nigerian
roads today must embark on marathon fasting and praying till he or she
gets to his/her destination.
While bad roads contribute to avoidable accidents on our roads,
drunkenness is also adding its own part to this gruesome trend. Some are in the habit of drinking
liquor before driving, an act, which constitutes a violation of the law,
while others smoke “Indian hemp” or some other drugs that make them lose
concentration easily.
Despite the fact that it is forbidden to drive while drinking on
Nigerian roads, majority of these drivers indulge in this habit. They believe it will allow them
to see properly, concentrate and drive carefully. But the reverse is the case as
many drivers have wasted their lives and those of innocent passengers, as
a result of this ugly habit.
Even so, empirical facts have shown that
most of our drivers did not pass through adequate tests and training by
vehicle inspection officers.
In fact some of them got their licenses through the back door. Some do not even have driving
license at all. The result
today is that our roads have become death traps.
Another factor responsible for carnage on
our road is over-speeding.
Due largely to government inability to regulate speed as is done
in industrialized countries, Nigerian drivers especially drivers of
commercial vehicles throw caution to the wind and drive recklessly.
Over speeding at times leads to head of
collision with luxury buses or trailers whose drivers do not care about
other smaller vehicles.
These category of drivers believe that their safety is in the
strength of the vehicles they drive.
Poor maintenance culture is also a factor
responsible for accidents on our roads. It is regrettable that drivers do not take proper care
of their vehicles especially commercial vehicles. It is rare to see a vehicle that
is free of this evil culture.
There are some vehicles for example with no break light,
trafficators, while some have cluttered clutch system, and failed
brakes. With giving these
factors, it is easy to see why our roads have become unsafe.
Even so, the activities of law enforcement
agencies especially the police forces are to say the least quite
worrisome. There are many
unauthourised roadblocks on the high ways for example where policemen
collect twenty-naira bribe.
What a national disgrace?
Trigger - happy policemen, whose major concern is the collection
of bribe on the high ways.
From Lagos to Ibadan not fewer than ten roadblocks are mounted
everyday. The most notorious
is that of Ibadan to Osogbo, Osun State capital where roads blocks are
mounted anyhow on high ways.
It is instructive that the roadblocks are not just there to check
the vehicle for suspected criminals, it is to serve as device to obstruct
drivers who want to escape from payment of compulsory twenty-naira
bribe. In the process of
struggling to run away from these roadblocks many have lost their
precious lives.
Poor infrastructural facilities are also
causing problems on our roads.
There are no adequate streets lights on Nigerian roads. This is making it impossible for
the drivers to drive very well at night. The epileptic power supply has led to so many deaths.
I believe strong that despite these
problems, there is still hope.
Governments at the federal, state and local government levels must
do some thing urgently to tackle these problems. The roads especially highways
must be rehabilitated immediately.
This I believe will alleviate the
suffering of our people while it will also serve to reduce the spate of
accident of the high ways.
Furthermore, there should be proper
legislation by the National Assembly to enforce the law on drunk -
driving. Speed limit should
also be introduced as a strategy to halt traffic mishaps. The Federal Road Safety
Commission must sit up and face its duties. They are in position to check the drivers that drive
with high speed. Serious
sanction should also be applied for reckless driving.
Another way of reducing incessant
accidents is to make sure that the Vehicle Inspecting Officers do their jobs
properly. Proper concern
should be on the maintenance of vehicles. So many vehicles should be off the road by now because
of old age and lack of proper maintenance.
Additionally, the Vehicles Inspecting
Officers (VIOs) should scrutinize the licensing format, not just
allocating license to drivers.
There are so many road users today with valid licenses still they
can not drive very carefully.
Corruption that has characterized the issuance of driving license
should be re-examined.
Things should be done properly. It is only when licenses are
giving to those who have passed the test that our roads will be free from
accidents.
Certainly there is hope for our
country. This hope is
anchored on the belief that our leaders will do what is right for our country. It is our hope they will.
Faleye Adetunji Silas,
College of Journalism
ACME - Ogba,
Lagos.
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