Still on FRSC and the speed burden

For the last two weeks, I have focused on the increasing spate of speed related crashes in the country with emphasis on the Federal Road Safety Corps strategies to get the buy in of the motoring public in its soon to be  introduced  speed limiting devices in vehicles. The speed limiting device is regarded as […]

For the last two weeks, I have focused on the increasing spate of speed related crashes in the country with emphasis on the Federal Road Safety Corps strategies to get the buy in of the motoring public in its soon to be  introduced  speed limiting devices in vehicles.

The speed limiting device is regarded as the ideal plank for cutting down road traffic crashes fatalities in the country in line with the United Nations Decade of Action goals of reducing global fatalities by 50percent by 2020. Today, I hope to conclude on this but before I rest this discourse on excessive speeding and the plan to introduce speed limiting devices in vehicles, let me state here that I was indeed delighted at the turn out of stakeholders, and the interest shown on the issue of speed limiting devices. Let me also state that the positions of these stakeholders and the testimonies of those already implementing were indeed helpful especially to skeptics. All the stakeholders agreed on the need for the Corps to fast-track this plan and save the nation the avoidable deaths on our roads.
Prominent among the stakeholders were ABC Transport, Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Road Transport Employers Association (RTEAN), the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO and the Association of Luxury bus owners of Nigeria. Let me start with Abc transport whose operation from the onset, according to Frank Nneji, is tied to comfort and safety. ABC can rightly be described as a trail blazer in the transport sector. Over the years, the underlying philosophy of the company has been to operate within the ambit of the nation’s traffic laws especially with respect to complying with the speed limit for vehicles. Of all the companies in the country, Abc is noted for what a close observer once described as the “snake speed” at which its fleet operates. It is therefore no surprise that even before the Corps began the move to concretize the introduction of speed limiting devices in vehicles, the company had already blazed the trail by implementing the use of speed limiting devices in its fleet alongside Peace Mass Transit. During the course of the stakeholder’s forum, it was no surprise that ABC transport stood as a testimonial for the Corps proposed plan. There were other testimonials on the benefit of implementing speed limiting devices in vehicles such as Shell Petroleum. However the Abc testimony is apt because of their direct involvement in the transport sector. Speaking during the Abuja and Lagos forums, Abc with relish, told the gathering of what speed limiting devices has done to their operations. This, they note include; improving their road traffic accident profile. According to them, between 2009 and 2012, road traffic crash fatalities which was 10 in 2009 reduced to 6 in 2012 despite a fleet increase of 10percent within the same period; after a 100percent speed reduction implementation at their haulage units, with 700 trucks operating monthly, there was a 5percent  savings which amount to N2,007,250monthly. Shell equally attested to these benefits, noting that SPDC presently has 974vehicles in its operations and about twice that number is used by her contractors with 842professional drivers who drive/operate vehicles for SPDC operations. As far back as the 1980s, the SPDC recorded relatively high number of road related incidents. These were caused by poor SPDC contractor drivers behaviour, inappropriate speed, fatigue, driver incompetence, alcohol and drugs ailment,3rd party induced crashes, poor road/weather conditions, and vehicle mechanical failures. However since the introduction of this device, there has been reduction in road transport incidents, improvement in driver behaviour has enabled a reduction in SPDC road traffic incidents, reduction in security exposure, from a reduction in unauthorised travels and the ability to identify vehicle location for emergency response, reduction in maintenance and repair costs from  the management of excessive speed, harsh acceleration, braking, and excessive idling in addition to increased productivity and accurate time records.
These notable testimonies by ABC and SPDC, no doubt speaks volumes and thus paves the way for the Corps to fine tune its plans. It is however necessary for me to equally capture the views of other notables players especially the umbrella associations of drivers, owners and employers. In its submission, the Road Transport Employers Association described the introduction of the speed limiting device with effective and efficient enforcement strategy as the only viable option in moving passengers in a safe and sustainable manner, a position shared by the National Union of Road Transport Workers which, however, advised the Corps to consider the following; that adequate publicity and sensitization  must be carried out before enforcement commences, installation of the product to be made at the point of manufacture of vehicles to avoid vandalism by drivers while steps should be taken to ensure that vehicles imported into the country must come with a pre-installed speed limiting device.
This position was similar to that of the National Association of Road Transport Owners which urged the Corps to equally consider the examples of  developing countries like the United Kingdom where mopeds are used as a method of on board speed restrictions to prevent the vehicles from exceeding the prescribed speed with speed sensor that can cut the ignition spark; the use of speed bumps which are widely spread around the world, and are most commonly found where vehicles speeds are statutorily mandated to be low. These bumps can be made up of recycled plastics, metal or asphalt; Radars for Speed Detection which involves installation of cameras and other communication document that could read road signs and capture the image and plate number details of offenders to the traffic control authorities; Constant awareness campaign on safety for fleet owners, managers and drivers in addition to the need to take into account the availability of local technology, adaptability and economic conditions of the vehicle owners.