The Nation Newspaper

Tag: ‘driving against traffic’

  • Ambode arrests soldiers, others for driving against traffic

    Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode played the cop on Monday as he arrested some motorists, including a soldier for driving against traffic.

    The governor was on his way back from Abuja when he caught the motorists taking ‘one way’ to beat the traffic on the airport road in Ikeja.

    He came down hard on the soldier who drove a space bus marked JJJ 290 AC. The soldier, the governor said, should know better as a security personnel.

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    Ambode, who alighted from his car, reprimanded the soldier for showing bad example.

    The governor also upbraided another motorist who drove a saloon car marked LSR 445ER, for breaking traffic law.

    Ambode ordered the vehicles impounded and offenders prosecuted.

    The governor was returning from Abuja where he attended the inauguration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council.

     

  • Driving against traffic, attempted murder

    Driving against traffic is a common practice on Nigeria roads. This practice is prevalent in all the states and the Federal Capital Territory particularly the cities with heavy traffic flow. It has caused many vehicular crashes while a lot of innocent pedestrians have either been maimed or killed outrightly. It is, however, disheartening that many government officials, security agencies, traffic agencies and some highly placed Nigerians regularly commit this heinous traffic offence.

    Research revealed that people who drive against the traffic do so because they want to avoid being held up in traffic, take a short cut, bypass a longer route or rushing to meet up an appointment which is one of the effects of inadequate journey planning. No matter the reason, driving against traffic is a criminal offence which I want the government (Federal and State) to categorise as same with attempted murder.

    Overtime, the approved legal flow of traffic is usually registered in the subconscious of road users and the fact that a vehicle, tricycle or motorcycle can drive or ride against the traffic doesn’t register in their minds quickly. Hence the high number of innocent road users falling prey of the criminals driving against traffic. They are normally referred to as mad drivers or mad riders as the case may be. The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and some state governments have prescribed psychiatric test for culprits of this evil practice.

    I hereby implore Executive, Legislative and Judicial arms of government at the Federal and state levels to further criminalise this offence by tagging it as attempted murder and the same judgement meted to the culprits. In addition,the relevant traffic management agencies should significantly improve their monitoring and enforcement mechanisms without compromise. These when done, will eliminate the crashes, injuries and deaths caused by driving against traffic.

  • Driving against traffic, attempted murder

    Driving against traffic is a common practice on Nigeria roads. This practice is prevalent in all the States and the Federal Capital Territory particularly the cities with heavy traffic flow. It has caused many vehicular crashes while a lot of innocent Pedestrians have either been maimed or killed outrightly. It is however disheartening that many Government Officials, Security Agencies, Traffic Agencies and some highly placed Nigerians regularly commit this heinous traffic offence.

    Research revealed that people who drive against the traffic do so because they want to avoid being held up in traffic, take a short cut, bypass a longer route or rushing to meet up an appointment which is one of the effects of inadequate journey planning. No matter the reason, driving against traffic is a criminal offence which I want the Government (Federal and State) to categorise as same with Attempted Murder.

    Overtime, the approved legal flow of traffic is usually registered in the subconscious mind of road users and the fact that a Vehicle, tricycle or motorcycle can drive or ride against the traffic doesn’t register in their minds quickly. Hence the high number of innocent road users falling prey of the criminals driving against traffic. They are normally referred to as Mad Drivers or Mad Riders as the case may be. The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and some State Governments have prescribed psychiatric test for culprits of this evil practice.

    I hereby implore Executive, Legislative and Judicial arms of Government at the Federal and State levels to further criminalise this offence by tagging it as attempted murder and the same judgement meted to the culprits. In addition to this, the relevant traffic management Agencies should significantly improve their monitoring and enforcement mechanisms without compromise. These when done, will eliminate the crashes, injuries and deaths are caused by driving against traffic.

  • Dangers of driving against traffic

    Over the years, lots of men and women, young and old, have been killed or maimed by vehicles moving against the traffic.

    This offence of driving against the traffic is more common when there is heavy traffic on one lane, thereby prompting the impatient and disobedient drivers or riders to illegally divert to the lane of oncoming vehicles.

    Having seen the meaning of and cause of this offence, let us examine the psychology and consequences of the offence.

    When a person is following a routine overtime, it will be registered in his or her subconscious mind, thereby making it possible for him or her to perform that same task without giving much thought to it. For example, if a person has been moving around in a house for a while, he or she can move to several parts of the house even in the dark without stumbling because every nook and cranny of the house is already registered in his subconscious mind.

    In the same vein, when a road user’s mind is already made up about the direction of the traffic flow, he may not quickly think that a driver or rider can drive or ride against the traffic even though he knows that there are drivers and riders in the country. This is the reason many people have fallen victims of the offence of driving against the traffic.

    Driving against the traffic can result in the following:

    • Crashes with oncoming vehicles who might not be expecting vehicles to drive against the traffic.
    • Confusion for other road users who are scrambling to avoid having collision with the vehicles driving against the traffic.
    • Crushing of pedestrians who have gotten used to looking at only one traffic direction before crossing the road and those backing the traffic without expecting vehicles coming from behind. It is worthy of note that most of the drivers of the vehicles that are against the traffic are usually furious and reckless in their driving mainly because they know that they are wrong. Most of them do hit and run.

    It is very disheartening that Very Important Personalities (VIPs), the Police and other security officers are also guilty of this terrible offence unless there is official diversion because of road construction, maintenance or obstruction, no man or woman irrespective of the status should drive against the traffic.

    It is a form of traffic madness and this is one of the reasons the Lagos State Government in its traffic laws prescribed a psychiatry test for anyone that commits this offence of driving against the traffic in addition to paying the stipulated fine.

    I hereby recommend that the Federal Government and its Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC). The state governments through their traffic management agencies must stand firm against this office and take every step to prevent it through enforcement with appropriate penalties and everyone that causes accident or kills as a result of driving against the traffic should be prosecuted and jailed.

    Where compromise is established between the driver and the vehicle occupants is established, they should also be prosecuted with the driver or rider as the case may be.

    The public should also commence the habit of shouting at the offenders and snapping their vehicles with the number plates for direct reporting to the appropriate traffic management authorities and for posting on the social media as a way of curbing this destructive driving attitude which is pervading every part of the country no matter whose ass is gored.

    It is a shameful thing that Nigeria is still one of the countries with the highest rate road traffic crashes and fatalities in the comity of nations. It has, therefore, become expedient for every step, no matter how crude, to be taken to drastically stem the very sad tide. A stitch in time saves nine.

     

  • Bullion van driver held for ‘driving against traffic’

    A bullion van driver, Mr. Oke Onyeche, has been arraigned before the Lagos State Mobile Court at Oshodi by the Environmental Sanitation and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit (Task force) for allegedly driving against traffic. He was said to have driven against traffic on Ogunnusi Road, Omole bus-stop, Ojodu, Lagos.

    He pleaded not guilty. Chief Magistrate Amos Olajuwon will on Friday rule on the case.

    Prosecuting counsel Oseni Ibrahim said the driver’s prosecution was to deter other road users particularly those on essential service from flouting the law.

    Task force Chairman Olayinka Egbeyemi, a Superintendent of Police (SP), said majority of traffic offenders were educated people, who ordinarily should have obeyed the law without any strict enforcement.

    Egbeyemi urged motorists, particularly commercial bus drivers to desist from driving against traffic and obey traffic signs.

    He said the construction of alternative routes in some parts of the metropolis was to ease traffic congestion.

    Onyeche allegedly said he drove against traffic because he wanted to get to his destination on time.

    “I want the government to please temper justice with mercy,” he was quoted as saying by the task force.