The recent revelation by the World Health Organisation, WHO, Global Status Report on Road Safety 2023, that Nigeria has one of the highest road crash-related death rates in Africa, at 21.4 deaths per 100,000 population is worrisome.

Founder of Kwapda’as Road Safety Demand (KRSD), Justice Monica Dongban Mensem, who cited the report at a press briefing in Abuja, said the country should stem the tide.

Mensem also announced that she would host the maiden International Road Crash Victims Africa Conference (IRCVAC) in November to give a stronger voice to Road Traffic Crashes (RTCs) victims and their families.

“Nigeria has been ranked among the countries with the highest road traffic deaths in Africa, with 21.4 deaths per 100,000 people, according to the World Health Organization’s Global Status Report on Road Safety 2023.

“This is not just statistics; it means thousands of families are devastated every year. The figure is significantly higher than both the global and African averages,” she said.

On his part, Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Shehu Mohammed, said the Corps would double its efforts to reduce road crashes.

As a measure to save lives, he said the FRSC and the foundation have joined forces to establish trauma centres across the country for victims.

Nigerians are concerned that even with the establishment of FRSC and its much-touted efforts to stem the increasing tide of road accidents, the scourge seems to be increasing year in, year out.

The WHO’s report has reopened the argument as to the real cause of road crashes.

While some would put the blame on the nonchalant attitude of some drivers, as evidenced in careless driving and poor vehicle maintenance culture, there are those who put the blame on the government’s failure to build and maintain roads. Those on this divide are of the opinion that most of the accidents are caused by bad roads.

Yet, there are those who believe that it is a combination of human, vehicular and road factors.

Offering insights into the possible causes of incessant carnage on the road, particularly in Nigeria, an award winning luxurious driver with one of the leading transport companies in Nigeria, who has been driving even across some West African countries for over 20 years, Mr Pius Akwashiki, narrowed them down to three major factors, namely- road conditions, vehicle conditions and human factors.

Road condition

Akwashiki noted that much as other factors contribute to accidents on the roads, the condition of roads is a major contributory factor, at least in Nigeria.

He argued that from east to west, north to south, the story remains the same; the roads are generally bad.

“For instance, Lagos –Benin-Ore Road has been a death trap for over 15 years, causing accidents on a daily basis. The road alone accounts for more than 40 percent of the yearly accidents in the country,” he stated.

He lamented that the roads across the country are so bad to a point that sometimes, potholes as deep as three feet dot the major highways.

Akwashiki noted that a lot of accidents happen as a result of cars unexpectedly running into these potholes, and when such accidents occur, it is always very fatal and the casualty figure is always very high.

“The sights of abandoned rickety vehicles on our highways are commonplace. They cause obstructions, and most often, result in accidents.

“Aside from potholes and abandoned rickety vehicles, other hazards include wooden objects and old vehicle tyres, which the police use to form roadblock on our highways.

“While a great number of vehicles tend to somersault when they run into potholes, others run into other vehicles on the road while trying to avoid these unexpected hazards,” he said.

He said another remarkable factor is the absence of road signage on most of the country’s highways. “This makes it difficult for non-locals to use any stretch of our roads without prior tutoring regarding the ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’ of each stretch,” he added.

Vehicle condition

Talking about vehicle condition, he said most vehicles in Nigeria were not serviced regularly.

He also said that even when the owners want to service the vehicles, they are not done by authorized Manufacturer Service Agents or by people who have access to the manufacturer service manuals.

“A lot of improvisations, therefore, go into vehicle maintenance.

“The serviceable parts are also not reliably supplied by the authorized manufacturer agents. These fake parts, therefore, tend to give way in the least expected of situations. Such unexpected parts failures cause accidents as well,” he submitted.

He equally did not forget the role of skilled auto mechanics, when he said: “The absence of a skilled workforce also makes the workmanship of the maintenance engineers in Nigeria operate at standards way below the standards in the advanced countries of the world.”

Human factor

He stressed that the discussion around human factors is very diverse as it includes not only the vehicle owners but the government and some of its agencies. He, however, noted that it is a major contributory factor to incessant carnage on the road.

He said: “When we talk about human factor, it is all encompassing; both the government and its agencies, like the FRSC, Vehicle Inspection Service (VIS) and the Ministry of Transport, the drivers and corporate bodies have failed to live up to their respective biddings as far reducing road accident is concerned.”

He decried the ease with which driver’s licences are procured in Nigeria, saying that it calls for serious concerns and needs urgent scrutiny.

“People who don’t know anything about driving easily get the license at the licensing office as long as they have the cash. It does not matter whether the person knows how to drive or not; so long as the person can afford the kickback he will get it.

“This has increased the number of accidents on our roads because the resultant effect is that incompetent drivers are seen plying major roads.

“Most drivers don’t know road signs, and even the ones that scarcely know, refuse to adhere strictly to them. They overtake where there is a sharp bend, ignoring such traffic warnings and ultimately causing accidents most often,” he said.

He also pointed out most people’s driving habits, saying, “The driving habits of most Nigerians are so bad that many people tailgate other drivers at high speeds causing major difficulties for the vehicles when things go wrong with any of the vehicles in the convoy.”

He lamented that speed limits are never adhered to on the roads “and the vehicles are commonly used well in excess of the design load capacity. This makes it difficult for drivers of such vehicles to control them in a safe and reasonable manner when necessary.

“Some drivers are in the habit of drinking and driving or even sleeping on the steering as a result of fatigue.”

Ekwutosblog investigation shows that some of the transport companies in Nigeria are in the habit of paying their drivers based on how many trips they were able to go from Onitsha or Benin to Lagos every day.

This practice, according to investigation, is called ‘Pay as You go’ among drivers.

This finding was corroborated by Akwashiki, who agreed that the system is unhealthy and contributes to high carnage on the highway because most of the drivers involved would try to go as many trips as possible to make more money, forgetting that they are human beings who have limits to which their system could work without resting.

“Another prevalent human factor is the habit of drivers answering or making phone calls while on steering. This has led to many accidents because some times, the driver becomes overexcited or downcast by what the person at the other end said, thereby losing concentration most times.

“The result is always fatal accidents, resulting in loss of lives and serious injuries,” he added.

Further investigation also revealed that the use of second hand vehicle tyres, popularly called ‘tokunbo tyres’ contribute a great deal to road accidents.

Speaking on this, a tyre seller in Maza-Maza area of Lagos, Chief James Chukwuebuka stressed that the lifespan of vehicle tyres is always neglected by vehicle owners in Nigeria, particularly those who buy second hand or fairly used tyres.

He said: “The average life span of a new tyre is four years but you discovered that most fairly used tyres are way up to 10 years.”

He noted that even the new tyres that burst, sometimes, are because they have stayed for more than four years after production without being used”.

But, in all of these, Akwashiki would not extricate the FRSC from the sundry road accidents, even as he blamed the government for bad roads across the country.

He said accidents would continue to be on the increase as long as there is no statistics of drivers who have been involved in road accidents more than two times.

He said what happens is that when most reckless drivers get involved in a road accident with their vehicle, what the transport companies normally do is just to sack them.

“Such a driver will then seek appointment with another transport company that is unaware of his past driving records.

“He gets involved in another accident and he is fired and he moves to another company.

“The journey continues and he keeps wasting people’s lives on the highway,” he added.

He suggested that the FRSC should have statistics of such drivers and get their names published in the national dailies so that other transport companies will not employ them.

Solutions

On the possible solution to incessant road carnage, Akwashiki advised that all government agencies, ranging from the FRSC to the VIO and the Ministry of Transport, must brace up to their responsibilities.

He condemned a situation where persons who are inexperienced are given driver’s license simply because they could pay for it.

In a bid to enforce all the road safety laws, he pointed out that the FRSC should also get modern equipment that could assist them in detecting drivers who are drunk and still driving.

The government should also do its bidding by ensuring that the major highways are devoid of potholes.

The VIO officers should stop taking kickbacks and make sure that vehicles that are not road worthy are marked ‘off road.’

Akwashiki also suggested that if the FRSC could have a data bank of all the drivers that have been involved in road accidents for two or three times and publish such names in the national newspapers so that other transport owner will not hire them, it would be a major step towards reducing road carnage in Nigeria.