Between Power Bikes And Smartphones

Chris Kehinde Nwandu (CKN) is my brother from another mother. CKN is also a friend, colleague, and partner. Yet, he is also my albatross. While Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes’s injury pains us, my brother is clinking his glass in mockery of another title season gone awry for the Gunners’ calamity, even though his team, Manchester United, are still sitting 13th on the table.

For the record, Chris, who recently celebrated his lovely wife on his Facebook page, was not the first to alert me to today’s piece. My sweet and beautiful wife, Ifeoma, did. Initially, I felt like ignoring the tragedy because it was still too fresh, with bashings and counter-bashings on social media. I, however, detoured when CKN wrote on his Facebook page with the heading, “I hate power bikes”.

Although he does not own a Power Bike, CKN recalled the death of his senior at Igbobi College and public relations icon, Femi Segun, on a power bike in Lagos, as the day his hatred began. For the records, CKN does not own an Okada, let alone a power bike despite his big boy status with good cars. In his post, he shared how restless he is on an Okada.

He wondered how and why these boys, including ladies, are so in love with bikes in Lagos. The craze is also in Abuja and major cities. I hate bikes too. No matter the size, even if it is a mobility scooter, a christened lady bike. Even my bicycle has become a souvenir for fear of being run over by reckless drivers or riders, especially the dispatch and Okada riders

The death of Adetunji Opaleye, CEO of Bumpa, who was recently killed while riding his power bike in Lagos, is the subject matter. Since my days in Lagos as sector commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), I have had my romance with bikers. We did road shows all to promote safety. I did the same with the Area Father, Charles Oputa, aka Charlie Boy, in Abuja, with over a thousand Okada riders in attendance. That was when I was sector commander, Federal Road Safety Corps, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

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Following the recent tragedy, I went online and was lucky to stumble on the report by Premium Times, with the headline, “Lagos resident arraigned over death of Bumpa co-founder, risks seven-year jail term”. According to the report, Biola Adams-Odutayo, a Lagos resident charged with reckless driving causing the death of Adetunji Opaleye, co-founder and chief technical officer of Bumpa, faces a seven-year jail term if convicted.

Relying on a statement from the police, the publication said Ms Adams-Odutayo was arraigned on two counts on March 12, days after she was discharged from the hospital following the accident. The accident, which reportedly led to Mr Opaleye’s death, occurred at about 10.20 pm on March 4, at the 1004 Housing Estate entrance gate, traffic light junction, along Ozumba Mbadiwe Road, Victoria Island, Lagos. Ms Adams-Odutayo, driving onto the expressway in her Ford Edge SUV, with number plate LND 418JR, without checking for oncoming traffic, reportedly crashed into Mr Opaleye.

The matter has been charged to the court, and so I am not prepared to fall into CKN’s law practice on a matter before a court. Subjudice will be CKN’s likely case against me. Interestingly, the report in its “Aftermath of the crash”, said witnesses alleged that the driver refused to exit her vehicle or assist the victim. Another claimed she avoided contact with him to prevent “blood from staining her car. I read that two hospitals reportedly denied him treatment after the delay in taking him to a hospital. I rest the matter as reported.

So what are the optics on bikes, whether small or powered? For the record, power or electric bikes (e-bikes) present several risk factors, including potential fire hazards from lithium-ion batteries, injuries from accidents due to speed and lack of training, and traffic violations.

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission in the United States of America (USA), the two most common injuries are fractures and contusions or abrasions. The upper and lower limbs, head, and neck are the most frequently injured body areas. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the risk factors for driving are speeding, driving under the influence, and distracted driving, which significantly contribute to road crashes and injuries and are a significant public health concern.

I do not know if either the deceased or driver was a phone freak but I know that a handful of riders and drivers indulge in this risky pastime. The distraction it causes has let to avoidable crashes, deaths and injuries. I don’t know if you missed my focus last week on same distraction caused by misuse of smartphones.

If you missed the opening of my piece on the same topic sometime ago, you do not have to worry. For some reasons, I have chosen to run through some parts of the same piece from the beginning. I know this might sound boring to those who read it when it was first published, but I need my readers to trust me. It is a deliberate ploy by me to refresh the memory of my readers, including those who read the first part.

Over the last 30 years, research has demonstrated the impact of phone use on driving performance by measuring aspects such as hazard detection ability, reaction times, and eye movements. Findings reveal that regardless of whether a phone is handheld or hands-free, phone-using drivers are four times more likely to be involved in a collision than undistracted drivers, and this increased risk persists for around five minutes after a call has ended.