26th November, 2013
By Mamud Hassan
Contrary to stereo-typed opinions being expressed in certain quarters that accidents are acts of God, most accidents, either in the air, on the road or on sea occur mostly as a result of human factors. In Nigeria, for instance, weak institutions and poor enforcement of the law generally contribute to accidents. This is why one really disagrees with the recent submission of the embattled Minister of Aviation, Ms. Stella Oduah, that the recent ill-fated Associated Airline plane crash that killed 14 people on the spot in Lagos, was an act of God and as such was inevitable.
The minister`s position was in tandem with the norm in this part of the world, where every accident is attributed to God. All over the world, accidents occur irrespective of the mode of transportation, but the most rampant with high fatalities in Nigeria is road accident. The reason for this is not far-fetched. Road remains the most popular means of transportation in the country. According to the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), road accidents’ statistics for the first half of the year (Jan-July) 2013, no fewer than 2,422 were killed and 11, 961 injured in 3,708 roads accidents in different parts of Nigeria. The record further shows that 64,000 Nigerians died through road accidents within 10 years period, an average of 17 deaths per day. In 2001, the dead numbered 9,946: in 2002, it came to 7,407 and further down to 6,452 in 2003. The figure became little in 2009 and 2010 respectively. In the year 2011, the deaths figure was 4,372. The reduction in road accident deaths, so far witnessed this year is a pointer to the fact that efforts of the various traffic management agencies in the country are yielding positive results.
Accident, whenever it occurs, puts victims as well as their friends and families under serious emotional trauma. As stated earlier, human factors such as gross disregard for traffic rules and regulations, lack of knowledge of road signs, excessive speeding, defective eye sights among others are commonly responsible for most road accidents in the country. The mechanical aspect of the human factor includes the driving of unworthy and rickety vehicles, overloading of vehicles, poor vehicle maintenance, use of substandard motor spare parts, especially tyres.
A 2010 report of the World Health Organization (WHO) ranks Nigeria 192 out of the 193 countries in the world with fatalities arising from road accidents. If this trend is allowed to continue, it is capable of truncating the country`s goal of becoming a major player in international economy and politics by the year 2020. The challenge of safety on our roads is not just about the dearth of traffic laws, as the country have enough in various law books to ensure sanity on our highways. But with the right leadership as well as sufficient political will coupled with effective implementation and strengthening of road safety institutions, road accidents will be reduced to the barest minimum in the country.
Nigeria is a country of over 140 million people with 194,200 kilometres of roads and Lagos, being the sixth largest city in the world with a population of over 17 million people, registers over 200,000 vehicles annually and records of 224 vehicles per kilometre as against 15 vehicles per kilometre in other states. This is in addition to the over 10 million commuters on its roads on a daily basis. The implication of this is that traffic management in the state requires a scientific approach.
It is with a view to solving the state’s perennial traffic problem that the state government established the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) in July, 2000, to regulate, control and manage traffic and other connected matters with a major function among others of controlling traffic and enforcing state and national laws that govern the safe use of vehicles on roads in Lagos state. Since its inception as a traffic management institution, LASTMA has continued to train and re-train officers at home and abroad in various technique of road and traffic management. To tackle traffic gridlocks and improve traffic management in the state, about 150 traffic managers were trained in hi-tech traffic software, rescue, incident management, traffic signalisation and synchronisation, road safety audit and use of synchrony simulation.
In furtherance of its determination to reduce road accidents in the state, the state road safety agencies comprising of Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Vehicle Inspection Services and Lagos State Drivers` Institute embarked on safety campaigns with officers dispatched to over 500 motor parks across the state to educate drivers on the need to always put their vehicles in good condition before driving them on the road, observing road and highway codes and inauguration of multilingual audio-visual on driving and safety training modules. The modules were on preliminaries of driving, the traffic, the right of way, turning, space cushion, driving on the expressway and adverse conditions.
Equally, in order to curb the use of illegal substance and drugs abuse among the commercial drivers, the state government started a campaign across the motor parks in the state which has led to the screening of over 2,500 commercial drivers for blood alcohol content, substance abuse, hypertension and diabetes. Out of the 884 drivers screened at the Ojota Motor Park, for instance, 239 were hypertensive and 86 diabetic while another 60 tested positive to substance abuse and 287 had excessive blood alcohol level. In continuation of the campaign against the use of substance by drivers, 988 drivers were screened at the Oyingbo Motor Park, 363 were hypertensive, 156 diabetic, 59 tested to cocaine/ marijuana while 494 tested positive to the breathalyzer.
The establishment of the Lagos State Traffic Radio (96.1), a radio station solely devoted to the dissemination of traffic information to the motorists in advance to plan their journey and movement in advance was unique and a novelty in Africa traffic management system. Without doubt, the Lagos state government has been pursuing various programmes and policies in traffic management with zest and vigour capable of enhancing quality of driving and safety on the roads. It is such pragmatic, scientific and proactive approach to public transportation that have helped in reducing the rate of road accidents in the state.
On a final note, it is important to stress that the deliberate implementation of various safety policies by the state government is predicated on the belief that accidents are not transcendental, neither their causes and solutions are beyond human comprehension, but with political will, leadership and functional institutions accidents on our roads will be minimum.
•Hassan is a Public Relations Officer, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, Oshodi, Lagos.