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<\/a><\/p>\n29 December 2011<\/p>\n
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editorial<\/p>\n
A Non-Governmental Organisation, the Accident Prevention and Rescue Initiative recently released a report claiming that a child gets killed every three minutes in a road accident in Nigeria. Of all the problems afflicting us as a nation this is a dangerous malaise we can, and must, tackle quickly because it affects the future of our society. Quoting the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Executive Director of the NGO, Prince Fidelis Nnadi said: “The WHO statistics confirm that a child is killed in an accident every three minutes in Nigeria, and that about 42 per cent of the children are killed by reckless speeding, drunken motorists and distractions like the use of cell-phones.”<\/p>\n
In a related development, the director of Arrive Alive Road Initiative, Mr. Yinka Bello, observed that the majority of the institutions of learning in Abuja use “school buses that are not internationally recommended to convey students to school.” Furthermore, Bello disclosed that a recent survey by the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) in Abuja revealed that most schools use mini-buses which fall below recommended standards. During this year alone, several school children have been killed in road accidents involving school buses.<\/p>\n
These disclosures of avoidable killings of innocent young school children have thrown up a great challenge to stakeholders, which include governments, school owners, parents and teachers associations. Coming fast on the heels of the United Nations’ declaration of 2011-2020 as accident free decade, the need for immediate redress becomes even more urgent. These accidents are most often ,manmade owing to the fact that drivers of the school buses are sometimes either under the influence of alcohol or recreation drugs like marijuana. And because they carry minors who are incapable of calling them to order when they misbehave, the children find themselves at the mercy of reckless drivers.<\/p>\n
Other factors include the fact that school owners often resort to the use of rickety vehicles. It is established that most school owners also employ untrained drivers who are poorly paid and so do not give their best. Some even deploy their security men and other members of staff who can drive to such duties with little or no thought for the safety of the children under their care. A number of actions should be taken to checkmate this ugly trend. First, we suggest that it should be made mandatory that all school buses be painted with bright yellow colours and marked “School Bus” with telephone numbers that can be reached by members of the public in the event that a complaint had to be made against the driver as it is done by some companies.<\/p>\n
The idea of school proprietors using just any kind of vehicle to convey kids should also be discouraged while speed limits should be enforced<\/p>\n
and errant drivers prosecuted. Drivers should be subjected to random breath tests while on the steering to ascertain the level of alcohol or drug in their system. An offending driver should have his licence suspended for a period not less than six months. A second-time offender should face life ban. Government should also reintroduce and enforce the “Zebra Crossing” sign at critical junctions on the road. Public enlightenment is also very important in this regard. And here, we wish to commend the Lagos State Government which recently initiated a programme of road safety campaigns by establishing road safety clubs in about 700 private and public schools in the state and also appointing 10,000 “road safety ambassadors” to help spread the message of safety on the roads.<\/p>\n
The government said it took the initiative in view of the frequent road accidents involving school buses in the state as it could no longer afford to fold its arms and watch young children die in avoidable accidents. We therefore urge other states in the federation especially the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, to emulate the Lagos example. We should all be concerned with our children’s safety.<\/p>\n
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