STILL ON MY 2016 AGENGA

Last week I told you of the laudable safety practice by some organizations such as Shell Petroleum Development Company (SDPC) and ABC Transport based on global best practices. These practices like I observed, are driven by the position of the World Health Organization (WHO) and World Bank which lays emphasis on specific safety measures as planks for promoting safety consciousness and reducing road traffic crashes; the template emphasizes on seat belt usage, drink driving enforcement and speed control which the Federal Road Safety Corps(FRSC) is set to tackle through the April1, 2016 enforcement date as approved by Mr. President, Mohammadu Buhari as a demonstration of government commitment to safety. With less than 90days away to April1, 2016, it is instructive to rehash the journey on the speed limiter enforcement which began on June 22, 2012 when a 1-day Consultative Forum with stakeholders was put together by FRSC to deliberate on rising cases of speed related crashes and its multiplier effect. Arising from the forum, a Technical Committee was constituted, to come up with a policy document on maximum road speed limit for vehicles. Members of the Committee included Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON), National-Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), Nigeria Society of Engineers(NSE),NationalUnionofRoadTransportWorkers(NURTW), National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) among others. On 4th September, 2013, a prepared draft policy document was reviewed and adopted by a larger committee. The reviewed document was accepted by the Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON) Technical Committee on the 28th May, 2014. Subsequently, the document comprising both the installed requirement (Part I) and specification for system and component requirement (Part II) was approved by SON Governing Council on the 27th August, 2014.After series of meetings and consultations, rallies and discussions with stakeholders like I mentioned last week, the President was briefed and he approved the1st April, 2016 enforcement for speed limiting device. The new date is an over-turn of the initial commencement date of 1st Sept, 2015 which came about due to stakeholders’ plea at an earlier meeting held on 7th October, 2015. Now that a new date has been approved and in view of the need to fine-tune strategies for its success, the Corps has scheduled follow up activities to prelude full enforcement; these include public enlightenment from Nov – Dec 2015 and from 1stJanuary – 31st March, 2016 –commencement of cautionary patrol operations and; 1stApril, 2016 – full enforcement commences. In my Zone, we have fine-tuned arrangements to release every arsenal to reach out to stakeholders through the various parks, religious organizations and other platforms for a successful enforcement and compliance in the Fct and Niger State. This is in addition to a stakeholder’s platform to further reinforce the need for complete buy in. This speed limiter novelty, like I wrote last week, will form a greater focus for 2016; its initial challenges and hiccups and ultimately the success story as I am convinced that the speed limiter enforcement will do for FRSC and the nation what the seat belt enforcement has accomplished for us even though we are yet to fully implement it for all occupants of a vehicle. In keeping with the same WHO template, I believe strongly that out efforts to rid our highways of the consequences of driving under the influence could be approached from an angle that I have canvassed over time especially after my small stint in Lagos as Sector Commander. What obtains in Lagos is the same across all other states and parks where sale of alcohol is openly done making it easy for drivers to ensure they top up before embarking on a journey. It is therefore important to consider cleansing the parks from the sale of alcohol and weeds while sobriety checks are increased on the highways by operatives of the Corps .The fact is that alcohol is a depressant drug which slows down the activity of the central nervous system, including the brain. Alcohol could affect your driving by causing impaired vision, reduced reaction times, reduced concentration and vigilance, feeling more relaxed and drowsy, which may cause a driver to fall asleep at the wheel. It could equally cause difficulty in doing several tasks at once such as keeping in the lane and in the right direction, while concentrating on other traffic, failure to obey road rules and over confidence, which may lead to risk taking. The hangover effects of alcohol can make it hard to concentrate and drive safely, and might cause you to doze off on the wheel while driving. A person who has been drinking alcohol often delude himself that they will be careful and that they will be able to drive safely. However, alcohol affects views and experiences of reality and therefore affects driving skills. If you read last week’s piece on the same topic, you must have read the pathetic story of a father who lost his 10year old daughter on the 23rd dec, 2015. The crash, like I wrote, was caused by tyre burst. Just like speed related crashes, tyre burst is a huge challenge as the level of ignorance and ultimate compliance is at the lowest ebb. Most drivers still tow with the state of tyre and the care for tyre and because of the increasing cases of speed, tyre burst naturally occurs regularly. This is why the importance of tyres will also be of priority in 2016