Abuja’s unsafe roads

As a result of increased Boko Haram activities in and around Abuja, residents are increasingly cautious that they may become victims of terror attacks. This has led to commendable caution and security checks in and around the city. However, the same caution is not exercised when driving. Analysis of casualty figures shows that over the […]

As a result of increased Boko Haram activities in and around Abuja, residents are increasingly cautious that they may become victims of terror attacks. This has led to commendable caution and security checks in and around the city. However, the same caution is not exercised when driving. Analysis of casualty figures shows that over the last one year, while 128 citizens lost their lives to terrorist activities, 487 died in road accidents.
Paradoxically, the FCT has some of the best roads in the country, and this in itself may explain part of the problem. Bad roads do not cause accidents because drivers have to move slowly and navigate their way through potholes and failed portions. In FCT the good roads lead to excessive speed. This is especially the case with the plethora of young men who are currently being involved in accidents. The number of vehicles somersaulting is an indication of the excessive speed at which they were travelling. Many adult drivers too are involved in accident due to improper driving. The caution being shown by citizens in relation to terrorist activities must also be transferred to road usage.
Abuja leads the nation in registration of new vehicles and issuance of new drivers’ licences. With the poor public transport system in the city, this is not likely to change. In capital cities of developed nations owning a car is in fact a liability, and using a personal car is a time-wasting and expensive option. However, in the FCT the abysmal public transport system means that owning a car is still the best and most convenient method of moving from one place to another.
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has been severally castigated for being more concerned about the cost and design of driving licences than the fact that citizens do need to know how to drive before obtaining one! This failure to ensure proper training of drivers is being manifested in the high accident rate. There is also an urgent need to intensify enforcement of traffic regulations. Lane discipline is a major factor in road accidents. Motorists in the FCT do not seem to distinguish between the fast and the slow lanes. Consequently, drivers overtake on all sides causing accidents.
The non-functioning traffic lights are also a major cause of accidents at junctions in the city centre. Many state capitals have installed traffic lights which are successfully operated by solar power, and the lights remain operational 24 hours a day. It is inconceivable that, with the erratic and insufficient power distribution network, the nation’s capital still relies on public power to operate street and traffic lights. Although the roads in the FCT are among the best in the country, engineers have pointed out that there are many defects in their construction. Firstly, the majority of “express” roads are bordered by large gutters which swallow up many vehicles. It is noted that volume is a function of both width and depth, and therefore these gutters should have been made narrower and deeper so that vehicles could not fall into them. Secondly, there is a problem of directional signs. Most of the signs are too small and are placed so close to the junctions that many drivers make emergency navigations across lanes when they realize they are about to miss their turning. Thirdly, although the road surfaces are smooth, there are no speed limit signs in them and no effort is being made to enforce such limit.
There is also the problem of accidents caused by “security movements”. It appears that many of our leaders have poor time planning skills and are always in a hurry to go somewhere. These excessively speeding convoys draw “attachment” vehicles which hurtle through the streets and sometimes cause accidents. The absence of security or traffic management cameras, the lack of proper driver training, the failure to keep record of those involved in accidents and the lack of focus of the FRSC all need to be addressed effectively, if the situation is to be reversed.