Eradicating Road Traffic Crashes in Nigeria: Genesis

Road traffic crash scene

Africa has the world’s highest road accident death rates, with Nigeria topping the list of African countries with the most traffic accident-related fatalities, according to World Health Organization (WHO).

World Health Organization (WHO) estimates over 1.3 million people die every year as a result of traffic accidents worldwide, and more than half of all road traffic deaths are among vulnerable road users including pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists.

Nigeria is ranked 54th in the world for the number of road accidents, according to the World Health Organization. There are three distinct factors that contribute to road accidents in Nigeria: the car itself, the environment (the road), and human error (whether by omission or commission).

Overloaded vehicle

Nigeria has the largest road network in Sub-Saharan Africa, covering 194,394 kilometers. The majority of these roads were constructed at a time when trains and other alternative modes of transportation were available and there was a limited amount of vehicular traffic. However, road construction has not increased at a rate that is comparable to the rise in automobile traffic.

Due to the decline of alternative modes of transportation like water and rail, the number of cars on the road has increased. As a result, roads are failing and  the number of road traffic crashes keeps rising.

To eradicate road traffic crashes in Nigeria, it goes beyond keeping policies and regulations in place. The laws guiding road safety in Nigeria must be religiously followed by road users and fully implemented by the Federal Road Safety Corp.