Almost every day there is an accident on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway. Every day I pry into the news, accident. It makes me wonder; what is really going on on that road? Why so many accidents? Well, I did my research, and these are my findings:
Between Jan and June (six months), over 80 people have lost their lives to accidents on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway. 80!
June 24 (this June) -- 4 killed; truck collided with commercial bus.
June 22 -- 3 persons died; a tanker fell, and people gathered with buckets to siphon fuel (they were warned). An impatient bus driver tried to manoeuvre through the gridlock and scratched his silencer against a concrete block, there was a spark, which ignited a fire that spread to the tanker and BOOM! 2 people scooping fuel died on the spot together with an escapee.
June 19 -- 19 persons died (see the correlation?) also on the Lag-Ibadan expressway. A tanker tried to overtake a truck and in the process collided with a fully loaded commercial bus killing 19 passengers on the spot.
Jan 7 -- truck crashed into van, 3 dead
Jan 13 -- 5 crushed to death in an accident involving a truck and a commercial bus.
Feb 5 -- truck rammed into Toyota Sienna, luckily no fatalities.
March 17 -- 10 crushed to death, bus collided with truck.
May 3 -- 13 burnt to death, SUV tire blew and caused a ripple effect of accidents.
Are you seeing the connection here? The commercial buses a.k.a danfo? The trucks? The tankers? These are the elements of any major accident on the Lagos-Ibadan express way.
Another evident factor is IMPATIENCE. These commercial bus drivers literally want to fly on the road, and the truck and tanker drivers that are meant to go slow and steady also want to fly! The danfo drivers will say they are trying to save time and increase profit by quickly dropping off passengers and picking new ones. But at what expense?
You see it's not so much the speed as it the impatience that amasses the death toll on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway. Vehicles trying to overtake other vehicles.
People blame the incessant construction projects going on on the expressway, alongside the potholes (bad roads), but in truth the drivers are to blame. They have to learn to muster some patience. Lives are at stake.
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and the Nigerian Police Force should do more than anything else to correct the mentality of these drivers. And we the drivers, please let's learn to take it easy on the road, our lives depend on it.
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