REDUCING FATALITIES ON THE ROAD 

All the stakeholders could do more to stem the carnage

Ahead of last Sunday’s marking of ‘World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims’, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Lagos Sector Commander, Babatunde Farinloye said 128 people lost their lives in 376 road traffic crashes in the state between January and October. Almost 2000 people and 662 vehicles were involved in crashes during the period, with 237 people sustaining various degrees of injuries. “The probable causes being excessive speed, dangerous driving, and overloading,” Farinloye said while pledging that the Lagos command would continue to deploy all paraphernalia of enforcement and advocacy to stem the rate of crashes on roads. 

 Nigeria is reputed as one of the countries with high road fatalities in the world. In every four hours, going by available statistics, at least two lives are lost to such carnage, with no fewer than 25,000 of about 12 million vehicles in the country involved in accidents. Meanwhile, it is common knowledge that there are too many rickety vehicles on our roads. The tyres of several vehicles plying the road are threadbare, just as their brakes are suspect. Some drivers operate in foggy condition with one functional headlamp. But the tragedies and mounting body count from accidents can be curbed by simple common sense and inexpensive remedial interventions.     

Instructively, the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims 2023 puts the spotlight on justice. “Traffic law enforcement, thorough investigation after a crash to find out if a crime was committed and to prevent recurrence, criminal prosecution where appropriate and civil compensation are all part of the justice system,” according to the United Nations. That also puts a spotlight on authorities in Lagos where two female sweepers, working for the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), were recently crushed to death by a hit-and-run driver. When proper investigations are carried out seriously, fairly, and consistently, according to the UN, “such a system is what road crash victims who have been injured or had a family member killed as the result of someone’s law–breaking or negligence deserve and wish for, since it also represents a main factor of prevention.” 

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) Global status report on road safety launched in 2018, the number of annual road traffic deaths has reached 1.35 million. Road traffic injuries are reportedly also the leading killer of people aged five-29 years. Available reports from both the FRSC and the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) have, at different times, listed major causes of accidents on our roads. Accidents often occur when motorists drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs or were distracted. Other things that cause vehicular accidents include street racing by children of affluent parents, especially in Abuja and capital cities, dangerous road curves, tyre blowouts, fatigue by drivers, etc. Apart from the burden these road mishap places on the families of victims, they take a huge toll on the national economy. 

To stop the carnage on our roads, we reiterate our position that the federal government should consider enacting a National Road Safety Policy that will outline various policy measures. These include raising awareness about road safety, creating a road safety information database, promoting safer road infrastructure, encouraging safer vehicles, identifying the needs of vulnerable road users, enforcing road safety laws, and ensuring medical facilities for victims when accidents occur. It amounts to criminal negligence that many lives are being wasted on our roads despite the promises made by successive administrations.