Bargaining With The Devil

Do you know why road traffic crashes occur? They don’t occur because drivers don’t know the rules or what is right. They occur because drivers choose to negotiate with risk and the devil. Are you one of such drivers who daily negotiate with risk and the devil?? The risk may be any infraction, or might be how you deal with other road users, or even traffic policemen who sometimes nauseate.

How often do you negotiate with risk and how often do you face other risky road users? A learner driver or an articulated truck driver who might be under the influence of all kinds of substances, as well as a crazy traffic officer, one you do not trust. Daily or once in a while?

Or how often do you have to deal with conflicts when you are facing adversaries with a trust deficit, who may harm you or who you may feel are evil or crazy? That is why I am giving Professor Fred all the flowers he deserves for this piece today. He was the one who drew my attention to Bargaining with the Devil: When to Negotiate, When to Fight by Robert Mnookin. The book explores the emotional, moral, and strategic traps to avoid, as well as the need to make wise decisions about whether to negotiate or fight.

What this simply means is for you to avoid making a deal that gives you a short-term benefit but will likely cost you something serious, which might be your morals, integrity, or even life. It simply implies knowingly accepting a risk or wrongdoing, whose consequences may be hidden, delayed, or severe.

The book’s moral applies to politics, business, personal life, and driving. Its core is about trade-offs in whatever situation you find yourself in. One apt real-life example is taking a bribe to solve a problem, thereby gaining an immediate benefit with the risk of a future legal battle, shame, or loss of reputation later.

Today, I wish to guide you on applying ‘’bargaining with the devil’’ to daily driving as we navigate the risky decisions behind the wheel. I am talking about those small choices where you gain convenience but quietly accept danger or future consequences. In our daily driving, bargaining with the devil means choosing speed, convenience, or impatience over safety while hoping nothing goes wrong. When you do this, you are simply saying that you know this is risky, but you will get away with it.

Before we navigate daily real-life driving examples, let me remind you that this week has been really tragic. First, in no particular order, was the report of the tragic six feared dead as a petrol tanker lost control in Ibadan, followed by the report of a UK returner who died in a Lagos-Ibadan expressway crash en route to Abeokuta for a wedding, as well as that of a Nigerian graduate killed by a hit-and-run driver in the US. These tragedies call for strict emphasis on safety above all.

For the sake of clarity, I intend to examine our habit of running red lights, speeding in city centres and on highways, using phones while driving, ignoring seat belts or safety rules, and driving under stress, anger, or fatigue. Running a red light is a worrying infraction in major cities and was my focus a fortnight ago, captioned ‘GREEN MAN’.

When the red-light signals stop and instruct you to wait for the green light, but you choose to ignore the signal and run a red light, the bargain is to save a few seconds, while the cost is the high risk of a deadly collision. If you read my Green Man piece, you’ll see that I highlighted the fact that intersections are among the most dangerous points on the road. Failure by both drivers and pedestrians to obey traffic signals is a major contributor to fatal crashes.

For freaks who indulge in excessive speed when they are late for an appointment or work, the bargain is to get to your destination faster while the cost is reduced reaction time and higher crash impact. Meanwhile, the hidden danger is that you feel you are in control until that tragedy occurs. For reminders, speed thrills but kills.

Now, for those whose overall aspirations in life depend so much on using their phone while driving, the bargain is to stay connected or reply immediately, while the cost is divided attention, like driving blind for seconds. In this scenario, a mere 3 seconds of distraction can result in a fatal crash.

It is increasingly common to see drivers using their phones even during traffic stops, or checking routes or changing music. The same is true of drivers on hands-free mobile phone calls or seemingly talking to themselves as they drive.

Drivers know that it is unsafe and indeed risky to take their eyes off the road or their hands off the steering wheel just to use their phone. Yet, most drivers indulge in this risky driving behavior perhaps because they feel that they are efficient in multitasking and risk-taking

Do you think seat belts are a distraction or nuisance? Or maybe you are a law-abiding driver or parent who cares less about other occupants, including your precious child? The bargain in this case of non-seatbelt use is comfort or laziness, while the cost is severe injury or death in a minor crash. Meanwhile, the truth is that seatbelts save lives.

The truth is that seat belts save lives. It can’t be put simpler than that. Seat belts have been adjudged to be the most effective traffic safety device for the prevention of death and injury in the event of a crash. Wearing a seat belt can reduce the risk of crash injuries by 50 per cent, according to the Global National Safety Council.

For driving under stress, anger, or fatigue, the bargain here is ‘I can still manage while the cost is poor judgment and slow reactions. Meanwhile, the real danger is that emotional driving is unpredictable. For the record, the risky choices we make happen because we underestimate the risk, rely on past luck, or because we feel nothing has happened before. On the other hand, we value immediate reward over long-term safety. Please, always remember that every time you make a risky decision, you are making a trade and bargaining with the devil.