Jide Owatunmise
Driving is a very complex task which involves the simultaneous use of the eyes, ears, nose, brain, hands and legs to gather information on the road, interprete the information gathered and take appropriate actions based on the analysis of the information to ensure effective and safe control of the vehicle.
To carry out these tasks effectively at all times, drivers must be mentally and physically fit. According to the Nigerian Road Traffic Regulations, before a driver is issued licence and before the licence is renewed, he or she is to undergo medical examination which must cover vision, nervous system, diabetes mellitus, psychiatric illness, general health, cardiac health and the medical practitioner details.
It is, however, disheartening that a lot of drivers that are currently holding the driver licence were not subjected to the requisite medical examination before the issuance.
The commonest pre – licence medical examination in Nigeria is eye test. Ascertaining the mental and physical fitness of a driver goes far beyond eye test alone. It must be a comprehensive medical examination to prevent avoidable hazards on the roads.
Few years ago, a driver drove to a junction and stopped when the traffic light turned red. Between that moment and when the traffic light turned green, he died right there behind the wheel.
Also in Gusau, few years ago, a man packed off the road in the evening and rested his head on the steering. Passersby thought he was resting while waiting for someone.
It was on the following morning that it dawned on the owners of the shop that saw him when he parked the vehicle in the evening of yesterday that raised alarm only to see that the man was already stone dead.
Without doubt, because of the complexity of driving and its multifarious challenges: the stress, traffic, recklessness and rage of other road users among other pressures, there are some health challenges that cannot cope with the stress of driving.
Some drivers who already know their health challenges are ignorant of the extent of damage that driving can further do to their health while some drivers are not even aware of their health status until it becomes an emergency.
This is the reason I made blood pressure check mandatory before I commence my regular corporate driver training programme. It has enabled me save the lives of many drivers who were not aware that their blood pressure had got to high hypertension.
Several drivers got to know they were already suffering from hypo tension which is as dangerous as hypertension to safe driving.
Globally, people with the following health challenges are not to be issued with Driver Licence, particularly commercial licence. If they already possess Driver licence, they should not be allowed to drive to prevent hazards while driving.
They are: liability to epilepsy and seizure (any driver who remains seizure – free for at least 10 years without anticonvulsant treatment within that period may be eligible for licence), diabetes requiring insulin, eyesight defects which cannot enable the driver read a number plate from a distance of 20.5 meters even with the use of glasses or contact lenses, heart disorders, persistent high blood pressure, suffered stroke within the past one year, unconscious lapses within the past five years, disorders causing vertigo within the past one year, major brain surgery or severe head injury with serious continuing after – effects, parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis or other chronic nervous disorders likely to affect the use of the limbs, mental disorders, persistent alcohol or drug addiction problems.
Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Directorate of Road Traffic Services (VIOs), driving schools, employers of drivers, driver unions or associations and the Driving School Association of Nigeria (DSAN) should take the issue of the mental and physical fitness of drivers through comprehensive medical examination more seriously than ever before. Prevention is always easier, cheaper and more rewarding than cure. A stitch in time saves nine.
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