“The third Sunday of November would be the annual day of remembrance for victims of road traffic accidents and their familiesâ€, according to a United Nations declaration in 2005.
The Nigerian Federal Road Safety Commission released some stats on road traffic accidents in the country (don’t ask me how they come up with the numbers) to mark the day:
4,944 Nigerians were killed in 9,114 road accidents, while 17,390 were injured in 2006.
The Corp Marshall went on and dropped a bombshell; he gave a conservative estimate of 400 die daily on Nigerian roads!
Do the math: 400 deaths multiplied by 365 days. This is 146,000 deaths per year!!!
This means one in every 1,000 Nigerians die daily from preventable accidents on our roads.
If we give the Corp Marshall the benefit of doubt and admit this number as accurate, this is an epidemic of huge proportion. If this many die then how many are injured?
I can’t even wrap my mind round the “costs†(economic, social and emotional) associated with each of those accident events.
What nearly gave me a coronary was the passiveness with which the data was presented. The speakers highlighted the need to “pay attentionâ€, “obey traffic rulesâ€, and even pray. According to the Minster for Communication (who was present or represented at the occasion) motorist should “pray while travelling…not only for ourselves but also for other road users.â€
I have no objections to prayers, but I can’t just stand when we – Nigerian humans, due to our collective mental laxity and social and moral unconsciousness, simply shift our responsibilities unto the Divine one. Nuts!!!
How can this epidemic be dealt with beyond merely obeying traffic laws and praying?
As I commented on Adeola’s post:
How about looking at the circumstances surrounding these accidents and find ways to minimize reoccurrences?
How about making commercial vehicles involved in accidents liable for damages caused? Reparation to victims is in order!
How about restricting the movement of articulated trucks (trailers and heavy trucks) to specific hours when there are fewer vehicles on the road?
How about fixing the darn roads, if it means paying tolls and privatizing, so be it. Just fix the darn roads!!!
The list is endless, and what is most required is having the national assembly pass into laws, more bills that deter reckless driving on the road.
We need to tighten the noose a bit and be more proactive, that is how epidemics are contained. 400 deaths per day is not acceptable!
Related article:
Blood on Nigerian Highway
[...] Originally published on Grandiose Parlor by Imnakoya as “400 Nigerians Die from Road Accident Daily?“ [...]
November 21, 2007 at 5:35 am
If I were Nigerian Government, regardless of what State, My focus would be on first fixing the death traps called roads, regulating movement of tankers and trailers, ensuring the availability and affordability of vehicle parts, introducing MOT certificate of road worthiness for vehicles, educating all road users, vehicular and non vehicular on road safety, mostly through paid advertisements. Having done this I can then hammer on the need to pray while using the roads. At least the Holy book does stress that “heaven will help those who help themselves. Haba Nigerian Government, the onus is on you to do something first, and this has been going on for too long. SOS Nigeria.
November 21, 2007 at 8:31 pm
To fix the roads in Nigeria, one hears it will cost xx billion dollars…which they have somewhat made us believe we can’t afford. Fines, can the construction of roads and their maintenance be privatized then? or at least do some form of private-public partnership and have users pay tolls?
What the situation calls for is just more purposeful leadership and social engagement that encompasses all you have listed and much more. The government is too silent and passive given the magnitude of the carnage on the road.
November 22, 2007 at 12:58 am
Dear Imnakoya, I beg to borrow two words from your comments - “Purposeful Ledership”. This should include looking into diverting the billions and trillions of stolen and getting recovered money into building the roads, and providing needed amenities and infrastructure in Nigeria. The money can be made available if this is given a priority in Nigeria. Is it not from this same Nigeria where we are saying we cannot affort $billion that some people are stealing more than $billion and keeping them in banks abroad? Have you seen Babaginda’ mansion in the states, how many $m do Nigerians think was sunk in that and God knows how many others by Nigerian Leaders past and present?
Privatisation is something I too have thought about although yet to mention for I am trying to establish the pros and cons of CCT (Compulsive Competitive Tenderings) here in England, Privatisation all over the world etc. Maybe the Economists amongst us can tell us more. From a layman’s point of view, Privatisation if handled well could solve many problems we have as regards the roads, police, post office, NEPA etc. Why I say this is that when NITEL was the main phone provider in Nigeria, communication was next to Zilch, but now it is a different story. Possibly not cheap but definitely available, cutting across the social laddder and everyone is happy.
November 22, 2007 at 1:06 pm
Does anyone know where I can find more information about this?
February 27, 2009 at 5:35 am