Stakeholders seek increased safety education for drivers, riders

TRANSPORT stakeholders drawn from the Lagos State Ministry of Transportation, Nigerian Police Force ( NPF) and the ride- hailing company, indrive, have agreed to join forces in deepening awareness of safety issues among drivers and riders.

This submission was made during a safety education event organised by indrive in partnership with the NPF and the Lagos State Ministry of Transportation.

Speaking at the occasion, the Director of Transport Operations, Lagos Ministry of Transportation, Olasunkanmi Ojowuro, urged relevant stakeholders to intensify yearly efforts to train commuters and drivers, focusing on safety measures and road signage.

Ojowuro called on law enforcement agencies to step up to ensure adequate enforcement of violators of traffic laws in the State,

He stated that the Lagos State Government was playing its part in providing the much- needed infrastructure to enhance road safety and providing manpower support.

He urged all road users to adhere strictly to traffic and safety laws as enshrined in the state's guiding principles, adding that this would help reduce the number of accidents leading to deaths and injuries and ensure the efficient management of traffic flows.

Also speaking, Senior Business Development Representative indrive, Timothy Oladimeji, highlighted the newly added safety features on the indrive app that form part of indrive’s existing Safety Center.

The features allow users to add more emergency contacts, make it easier to share ride information with authorities and improve in- app communication between riders and drivers.

Oladimeji stated that the ride- hailing app has many security features that can assist the rider and the driver against security threats. Highlighting some safety features, he urged road users, including drivers, to avoid any act that goes against the tenets of safety on the road.

“Your belongings should always be with you, whether you are in the car or not. Users should not enter cars whose description does not match the car description on the indrive app. Should you have an incident where you feel unsafe, have your belongings stolen, or even something smaller than that, it should be reported on the indrive app through feedback or support. On the indrive app, all users must give feedback about a driver before a new ride can be requested,” he said.