By Muhammad Auwal Abbbas
Road traffic accident has been a major challenge in our country. Many have passed to the grave beyond from our roads. Though our governments are doing some great job to make our roads safer, there are still some areas that are in a very bad state.
Now the question, is bad road the major cause of road traffic accident in Nigeria Then, the most important part; How to reduce road traffic accident in Nigerian roads?
Accident is a sudden unwanted occurrence which could result to loss of life and properties.
I am of the opinion that bad road is not the major cause of accident on our roads, but human factors and mechanical factors are. We tend to record more accidents on well constructed road than bad road areas. It seems our drivers get so carried away with the smoothness of the road, and tend to move at a very high speed on these good roads.
A lot of our drivers on the road are deficient in the necessary experience to drive safely on the road, others are prone to carelessness and substance abuse; especially heavy duty drivers.
Other drivers are too careless to carry out routine checks on their vehicle before putting it on the road. If our drivers are put through a defensive driving training course, this will help shape their orientation when they are on the wheel. This defensive driving course will also teach the drivers on the necessary routine checks necessary before a vehicle it taken to the road. This will go a very long way to reduce the amount of accidents on our roads.
I believe also that our government will need to strengthen our traffic law to also help curb road traffic accidents on our roads.
A situation in which spoilt vehicles are abandoned on the road for days should be seriously frowned at. Excessive speed should also be discouraged at its entirety.
Road traffic accident has been highlighted to be among the top 10 causes of death in Nigeria by World Health Ranking.
The write up will highlight some necessary steps that can be adopted to reduce road traffic accident on our roads.
1.Human solution: For drivers;Maintaining 100% concentration while on the road. Avoid substance abuse. Drive at a considerable speed. Control your emotion while driving, avoid anger. Avoid tailgating. Read road signs, and take necessary caution.
2. Mechanical solution: Always conduct routine checks on vehicle before putting it on the road. Only use qualified mechanics; Electrician, mechanic, vulcanizers, etc.
3. Administrative solution: Good traffic management plan.There should be prove of attendance of a defensive driving course (DDC) before awarding a drivers license. Federal road safety will need to accredit DDC course providers that will take charge of the training. Clear damaged vehicles from the road. Set up speed limits for the different roads, and place traffic officers to implement the speed limit. Fix traffic light or traffic officers to manage traffic where necessary. Fix damaged roads, and maintain existing ones as much as possible.
Written by Muhammad Auwal Abbas of Mass communication Department, Abubakar Tatari Ali Polytechnic Bauchi
