Taming Underage Drivers
Few days ago, I stumbled on a 17 year-old boy driving a red Honda on a street in Abuja. His parents, he confided, travelled out of the country. The vehicle had been kept in the premises of the FCT Sector Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps, waiting for Court processes to be fine-tuned by our team of lawyers before he is charged to Court.
His arrest is just one out of many other cases not just in the Federal Capital Territory but across other parts of the country. Similar cases had been reported. The National Road Traffic Regulations, 2012 prohibits anyone below 18 years from driving. Specifically, Section 8, of the regulation states that, “it shall be an offence under these regulations for an unlicensed person below 18 years to drive a vehicle or ride a motorcycle on the highways.
Across the World, underage driving has become problematic, prompting Countries both high and low income to midwife strategies to check this trend, especially with respect to driving and youthful vices such as drink driving, fun seeking and other tendencies prevalent among these groups. In Nigeria, the prevalence of underage driving has prompted the Corps, under the present leadership, to commence strategic programmes aimed at raising the safety consciousness of these groups.
These include taking safety messages to schools, addressing Parents teachers meeting and setting up, as well as expanding Road Safety Clubs. Ironically, most parents irrespective of status would rather blame society, government, school authorities, shielding themselves from any possible blame. What you hear mostly is; “we are just too disciplined. We can never allow, talk less of tolerating our only kid to do such things. In fact, we are too religious, refined and safety conscious to allow such a thing to happen and that is why we are really sorry for his misconduct.”
You would be shocked to know that these parents were among the privileged few who during festivities take days off to celebrate at home, indulging in all kinds of infractions including driving in overloaded vehicles. These same parents don’t give a hoot about seat belts, neither do they care about child seats for that same child they embark on all sorts of spiritual exercises such as night vigils, fasting and freewill alms giving for months or years invoking available promises by God. These parents rank among those seen during festivities such as Easter, Sallah and Christmas driving with children numbering six to eight squeezed in cars meant to carry just five, disregarding their safety and comfort. Most of these vehicles were excessively loaded with all sorts as if that was the last Easter, Sallah or Christmas. Now that God has consistently shown us mercies through His divine preservation and protection, the question now is -how far did we fare in 2023?
According to the FRSC, about 400 lives are lost monthly through road crashes, although the World Bank says the figure is about 2,500 monthly. Remember that road data collection worldwide is still not perfect. In Nigeria, we are still battling with strategies for reliable data. But whatever the figure, how do you think we fared from January to October, 2023?
Some would say that God destined these deaths-meaning for dreams to perish on the highway just like that. Take the case of the families who lost loved ones in Potiskum, Oluyole along the Lagos-Ibadan road, as a result of excessive speeding, wrong overtaking, as well as dangerous driving. There were other deaths, all attributable to human error which is the predominant cause of these crashes.
But is our God so wicked? In the words of Nelson Apiah, head of road safety in Ghana, God can’t be so wicked as to destined his creation to die like that through road crashes with bodies mangled. So why are we so fatalistic? Why don’t we care about our personal safety or even the safety of our loved ones, especially once we are behind the wheels? Is it because of the trust in some spiritual invincibility powers or the trust that God promised to protect us.
How come in the world index on road crashes, Africa tops the table just like in other indices of underdevelopment? Does God hate us blacks or do these things happen because of the choices we make? Choices such as bad roads, absence of appropriate road furniture, state of vehicles, our disdain for procedures and traffic rules, attitude of those of us involved in enforcing these rules, our religious believes that makes us think that all we need do is plead the blood or recite anything even when God’s law compels us to obey those who have authority over us is never seen as God.
We do 160 km an hour, drive with no seat-belt, none for our kids, phone while driving, overload vehicles anyhow, and overtake anywhere, believing that God’s angels are on guard. In the words of my former Pastor Sam Otenaike, Angels hate life on the fast lane and as such would rather walk than drive with you at such a killing speed. I recall the case of a couple I flagged down some years ago during the Christmas season along Gwagwalada – Lokoja road and advised him to take his baby to the back seat in the absence of a car seat, instead of the wife lapping the innocent kid at the front.
His response was that by His grace, nothing will happen and drove off, forgetting that in any possible crash, an unrestrained child would be thrown about inside the vehicle, injuring themselves and others. They are also likely to be ejected from the car through one of the windows. Such a child could also be crushed between your body and the part of the car’s interior. Even if you were using a seat belt, that child would be torn from your arms.
Individually, we rarely care about safety messages until we are directly hit by the plaque. Whether in our places of worship or work, we show no interest. The corporate organisations unlike what obtains in other Countries pay lip service to safety forgetting that corporate social responsibility is about protecting the environment where you do business.
What about structures? How many of such roads have the speed posted and how much have we done in using these signs as re-enforcers? I once told you that the outcome of a road crash for the victims in terms of their chances of survival and long term prognosis is affected by the level of available medical care.
Despite the efforts being put in by the Federal Road Safety Corps through the establishment of ambulance points, help areas/accident clinics and more Commands, how many states have attempted improving ambulance services to compliment rescue efforts.
Since we cannot reinvent the wheel, and since road crash is a global phenomenon, we must begin to embrace fully global practices and this requires the support of all, For instance, the United Nations in its resolution 57/309 of 2003, 58/9 of 2003 and 58/289 of 2004 on improving global road safety charged member states among others to implement World report on road traffic injury prevention, including those related to the five main risk factors some of which I have discussed in previous editions.
They include non-use of seat belts and child restraints, non-use of helmets; drinking and driving, inappropriate speed as well as lack of appropriate infrastructure. Similarly, WHO in resolution WHA27.59 (1974) recommends strengthening emergency and rehabilitation services, in addition to enforcing traffic laws and regulations and to work with schools, employers and other organizations to promote road safety education to drivers and pedestrians since road crashes are a health burden.
This explains why the leadership of the Federal Road Safety Corps came-up with the no waiver decision for traffic offences. So, while some of the above interventions as recommended globally are government responsibilities, others are corporate and individual-use of seat belts, checking your personal speed, resisting the urge to drink and drive. My challenge is for all of us to join the crusade to make 2023 end of year Christmas celebrations accident free, and this starts with you.
