Still On Arsenal’s Triumph And Safe Driving

As I draw the curtain on this piece, which may have pitched me against my editor or even some of my friends, let me start by wishing my Muslim readers  Happy Eid al-Kabir, and praying that this Sallah brings them and their beloved family peace, joy, good health, and countless blessings. To my Christian readers and others whose faith I may not fully understand, I wish you goodness and plenty of blessings.

To my editors, I hail you for doing a great job and for being extremely patient with me, especially as I savour the joy of being a Gunner, an English Premier League Champion, awaiting another trophy today by His Grace and mercies. As a reminder, I would like to ask again: Do you know what it means to be skilled? Are you one?

Last week, I reminded you that skilled drivers don’t weave through traffic at dangerous speeds. As you ponder, please let us reflect on Arsenal and their 38 games; last week, I told you that the team, now termed ‘the Unforgettable’ by critics, sometimes plays boring, sometimes entertaining, and sometimes tactical football. You can read the details in the first edition.

For today, I wish to whet your appetite by reeling off the statistics: Arsenal spent 32 of 38 weeks at the top of the league. They kept 17 clean sheets, including 6 in the final 9 matches, more than any other team. Also, we had the best goal difference. On the last day, we finished seven points ahead of our albatross,  Manchester City.

I won’t bore you with the points, since those who are still reeling in hatred are already bored. To prove that we are a team made of steel, we conceded no penalties, no red cards, the fewest goals, the highest goal difference, and the highest number of clean sheets. Even in the UEFA league, we showed that our EPL statistics were no fluke.

So, what is the lesson from our triumph? Every team or system should balance ambition with caution. So too must drivers. Unfortunately, drivers who avoid running red lights or who are conscious of the green man and give way to pedestrians receive all the bashing for being time-wasters.

The lane discipline drivers are termed sluggish and bullied by impatient drivers. Yet drivers who break the rule by overloading their vehicles estimate the little cash as a big win over their precious lives, while commercial motorcycles, popularly called ‘okada’,  mimic race drivers. They forget that some of our health centres need fixing to deliver efficient services.

Do you know that crashes are inevitable because we throw caution to the wind? When they next occur, don’t blame witches but your careless driving. Some call these crashes and deaths destiny, but driving impaired is not destiny. Neither is driving with substandard tyres nor excessively speeding. Nor is driving under the influence or wrongful overtaking a destiny. Patience, the kind displayed by Arsenal for twenty-two years, is what we need, not impatience.

The umpire in a football game ensures that all players obey the rules to avoid commotion, mayhem,   and fisticuffs. Just like in football, traffic rules are the umpires that enhance safety and sanity and reduce avoidable mishaps. The rules are not punitive. They are there to protect every road user.

So, when next you see the red light, consider its value. When you gaze at your speedometer on your dashboard, reflect on why, despite the speed of almost 280km provided by the profit-driven manufacturers of vehicles, you are restricted to doing a hundred kilometres or less. Remember that the car seat belt is there to keep you restrained in the event of a road crash, not to stain your expensive caftan.

When next you hit the road, stop bragging about your skills. I want to ask you about your invincible talisman. About your immunity, which is an illusion. Don’t think you can be involved in a fatal crash. Don’t brag about your American spec car with multiple uncountable airbags.

Seatbelts? Strap it. Strap every occupant, including your little lovely gift from God. Don’t brag about your safety record as the best driver in stunts. Drive safe. Comply with the rules. Share the road with others. Be patient. Nobody cares whether your car is the latest, bought for millions. It still kills. And can kill you.

Speed, I have written several times, gives no one a trophy. Avoid the gamble with speed. It kills. It maims. It wipes families in a split second. It accounts for most deaths. Obey speed limits in built-up areas and on highways. Speed limits are specific to vehicles and roads. Obey them, don’t drive at your whim. Obey.

Could you remember the lesson about teamwork which got Arsenal the trophy? Everyone played their role; from the players to the coaching staff, the medical team, among others. Road safety requires the same teamwork, cooperation among all road users,  from drivers to pedestrians, to law enforcers, policy makers, transport unions, road engineers and all.

As we say in defensive driving, remember to treat every other driver as a madman. Remember that your safety and compliance depend on the other road users. What this means is that you may obey the signalised traffic lights only to be killed by a distracted driver.

For those familiar with Abuja, pedestrians’ bridges constructed by the government, with support sometimes from others like the World Bank, are ignored by pedestrians who get knocked down and killed. Instead of bribing traffic officers, please comply to keep you and others safe.

Road safety is a collective and shared responsibility, with parents who must teach and serve as road safety ambassadors on road discipline, which has claimed millions of lives, all because of disobedience. In the words of former Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety, Osita Chidoka, learning safe driving begins from that little estate road where you think compliance is not needed.

If you fail the safety test on your estate roads or Abuja roads, you will be a maniac when you hit the expressway. In the words of God Almighty in His Holy book, he who is faithful in little will be faithful in much. We must expand the scope of road safety education not just to our children but to all road users.

We must build safety habits the same way Max Dowman of Arsenal, at sixteen, has imbibed football skills to make a mess of adults in a game; they should brag about their experience. The way we teach academics to our children is the same, if not more, as the priority we should place on teaching safety on our roads.

While in football it is training, tactical discipline and fitness, in road safety, driving safely is a function of daily responsible behaviour, such as always wearing a seatbelt, performing tyre checks, complying with speed limits and driving sober. It is also about avoiding distractions, being extremely patient, and ensuring the vehicle meets minimum safety standards.

Patience is the missing virtue on our roads as everybody, including motorcyclists and pedestrians, is in a hurry. As we celebrate Arsenal’s triumph with a funfair to the envy of our competitors, we must strive to sing the same over victory on road carnage; devoid of fatal crashes, deaths and injuries, devoid of strange calls announcing another crash and multiple deaths or another hit and run caused by a reckless driver.

After three decades plus of the onerous job of the Federal Road Safety Corps in policing our roads and driving road safety advocacies and awareness, I believe it is time for us collectively to ponder and drive safely by complying with the rules, so we can celebrate driving and arriving safely as a nation.

This is because, at the end of every journey, whether in football or on the highway, the winners are those who make it to the final whistle and those who get to the final destination unscathed. As we ponder another festive season, please keep safety in mind. Think of life. Think love and think caution and shared responsibility as you navigate the roads.