Check Your Speed

Road Safety 

I love appetizers. Even though I am not your regular eater, yet I am tripped by appetizers. I hear there are different types; cocktails are said to be some of the most popular appetizers. There are others, such as chips and dips, soup, salad, canape, hord D’oeuvres. Fruits and vegetables among others. The one that truly trips me at weddings, house warming or birthdays is the popular Nigerian puff puff.

It is deep fried and is soft, spongy, and fluffy according to the 2019 publication of K’S CUISINE.I love mine hot. If you want me to throw all decency on table etiquette, please try me with hot puff puff. Only then will you marvel at my cravings for puff puff as a typical Nigerian lad. As my appetizer, I served you the ‘hazardous habits to avoid’ when you zoom to 2025 by God’s tender mercies and Grace. Now to the specifics starting with high-risk behavior especially speed.

On November 17,2024, the World Day Remembrance for Road Traffic victims was commemorated. This was done in Nigeria and across the globe in line with the United National General Assembly adopted resolution 60/5 on improving Global Road Safety.It was a day to remember fatalities caused by irresponsible driving habits.

I know the Federal Road Safety Corps is still policing the roads to checkmate road crashes. Therefore, I am still waiting patiently for the Corps Marshal on the Corps scorecard for 2024 on the road traffic crashes recorded, deaths and injuries. Yearly, approximately around 1.19million deaths are recorded globally through road crashes. Between 20 and 50 million people are injured or disabled on the world’s roads.

The World Health Organisation(WHO)says in a verbatim report that 92percent of road traffic deaths occur in low and middle-income countries, even though these countries have around 60percent of the world’s vehicles. These deaths are highest in the WHO African Region and lowest in the European Region. Road crashes injuries are the leading cause of death for children and young adults aged 5-29years while two-thirds of these fatalities occur among ages 18-59years.

About 73percent of all traffic fatalities are males. Vulnerable road users -pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists account for a much greater proportion of road traffic collisions in low and middle-income countries than in high income countries.

As a response to this epidemic, the WHO report on Road Traffic injury prevention identifies a number of risk factors influencing crash involvement which among others are inappropriate and excessive speed, presence of alcohol, medicinal or recreational drugs, fatigue, travelling in darkness-what we might call night travel, defects in road designs, layout and maintenance, which can also lead to unsafe behavior by road users. Others include vehicle factors such as braking, handling and maintenance, having youth driving in the same car and poor eye sight of road users. The same report identifies non-use of seat belt and child restraints, inappropriate and excessive speed among other factors influencing crash severity.

This column is focusing on the effects of speed on crashes and crash severity and the need for Speed Limit Enforcement because WHO identifies speed enforcement, mandatory seat belt for adults, child seat belt or restraint, alcohol and drugs control as the three most vital road safety interventions that work. Secondly, one of my readers expressed concern over speed enforcement in buildup areas, having lost three close friends in a space of about a year.

Speed is at the core the traffic injury problem. It influences both crash risk and crash consequences. The physical payout of the road and its surrounding can both encourage and discourage speed. However, crash risk increases as speed increases especially at road junctions and while overtaking. A good number of road users are guilty of this even though we would rather blame the other driver for our errors.

For the speed freaks, please note these truths; that the higher the speed of a vehicle, the shorter the time a driver has to stop and avoid a crash. A car travelling at 50km/h will typically require 1.3metres in which to stop, while a car travelling at 40km/h will stop in less than 8.5metres. An average increased speed of1km/h is associated with a 3percent higher risk of a crash involving an injury.

Travelling at 5km/h above a road speed limit of 65km/h results in an increase in the relative risk of being involved in a casualty crash that is comparable with having a blood alcohol concentration of 0.05g/dl. For car occupants in a crash with an impact speed of 80km/h, the likelihood of death is 20times what it would have been at an impact speed of 30km/h

It is because of the grave risk involved that countries the world over including Nigeria set and post speed limit, because controlling vehicle speed can prevent crashes from occurring and reduce the impact with which they occur, thus lessening the severity of injuries sustained by the victim. In Nigeria, the maximum speed on the express is 100km/h for private cars and 90km/h for taxis and buses while at built-up areas such as commercial and residential areas, the initial speed of 50km/h had now been reduced to 30km/h

However, a safe conscious driver is always counselled to adhere to common sense limits by adjusting his speed to suit the environment, his mental state, vehicle condition and level of expertise. A drive across most Nigerian roads would shock you, as even at build -up areas, the appropriate speed is not posted to guide motorists. Since human behaviors are dictated by the structures, it is important that apart from posting speed in relevant traffic regulations, our road signs must also reflect specific speed allowed. Countries like France and the Netherlands have employed this approach and seen it work especially in France where speed was used to reduce death by 20 per cent.