BAUCHI/ABUJA KO LAHIRA
The above titled according to my Hausa language teacher means,’’ get to my destination or heaven calls. It is the common slang among a handful of commercial drivers within my Zone comprising Plateau,Benue and Nasarawa States. These drivers, like I wrote last week are excessive speed freaks who indulge in speeding above the prescribed speed limit of 90km/ph for buses and taxes on the express and 100km/ph for private vehicles. When the Federal Road Safety Corps commenced the 2017 end of year patrol and assigned me along the Jos Hawan Kibo Forest route, I knew I was in for a hard time because of this notoriety among some drivers who ply this route and other routes such as Jos- Bauchi ,Jos- Abuja,Jos- Kaduna or Jos -Zaria whose common slang is ;Bauchi ko lahira,or Abuja ko lahira ; meaning –get to my destination or heaven calls.
So I was not unmindful of the mad and irresponsible driving that has become the daily trend on these busy corridors which keeps my operatives especially those at Hawan Kibo,Garaku,Keffi,Akwanga, Nasarawa Eggon among others on the toes daily in the event of a possible road traffic crash. I was however optimistic that the extensive advocacies and public enlightenment that the Corps has embarked on in the Zone especially in Plateau where my sister from the other mother, Corps Commander Patricia Emordi arrest through the checkpoint based on my request. When I asked why he was pleading and laying prostrate on the tarred road, he said it is because he was over speeding. The side attraction was when the passengers whose safety I was concerned about all crowded pleading I should for their sakes let the driver off the hook which of course I didn’t having witnessed within my area of coverage some avoidable road traffic crashes which had claimed lives including the one that claimed the live of a father, mother and two daughters, leaving a son unconscious That singular ugly incident is the reason why I am doing a follow up to last week’s piece which was titled ‘’ tears and blood on Christmas’’, hoping that drivers will repent from irresponsible driving. While the Christmas eve like I wrote was saddening, the new year eve had its fair share as two reports from Gombe and Lagos Ibadan painted a horrific picture of deaths and injuries. From Gombe State came the report of about 15 lives lost at a fatal crash that occurred on 30th December 2017 along the Gumel-Gugungu. Among the 15 lives lost were mothers and their little children. Excessive speeding was identified as probable cause which explains why the FRSC in Gombe charged drivers to shun excessive speeding, overloading and imbibe vehicle maintenance. On the LagosIbadan, about five people died while13others sustained various degrees of injuries on Sunday few hours to the crossover service to herald 2018. Two vehicles according to the Corps and 18 persons were involved in the crash which was caused when a commercial bus coming from Ibadan to Lagos lost control and veered off the and collided with a trailer that was parked by the road. The commercial bus driver absconded shortly after the crash according to FRSC.
As we gradually settle in to return to our various destinations, I must again remind us that there is a clear link between speed and fatalities. Speeding is one of the main factors of fatal road accidents. The risk of death for instance amongst pedestrians when hit by a car traveling at 45-50km/ph is four times higher. We must note that driving at excessive speed like we must often do, decreases the amount of time that a driver has to avoid a crash. Excessive speeding affects your reaction and ability to avoid certain ugly situations. Excessive speed affects your thinking and braking distance which when summed up amounts to your overall stopping distance .Always remember that the higher your speed, the longer the braking distance which affects your reaction in the event of a crash. This why Speed limits are posted on our highways to guide us. I know there is the need for the appropriate speed limits on specific routes to adorn our roads like it is in other climes but since your vehicle has an speedometer, driver should be guided by even though this is the second shocker I learnt here which is another practice among drivers who indulge in covering the speedometer of the vehicle with a handkerchief so the passengers will not know the speed at which the vehicle is travelling.