What should I carry in my vehicle, Mr. Jonas? How do I avoid Marshals on the Road? Is it fine to use Google maps for direction while driving? Can I carry a seven years old child in the front passenger seat? What is the position of the law on the use of hands free while driving? These and many more are the posers I receive, either through text messages or phone calls. Like the widow in Luke 18, in the Holy Bible who troubled the Judge who feared not God neither regarded man so much that he caved and granted her requests, I have finally decided today to do your wishes by writing on what you should have in your vehicle.
This, I am sure, will satisfy the desires of those who said they need the information to avoid being’ harassed’ by Road Marshals on the Road. One such caller last week confessed that the reason a good number of motorists refuse stopping when flagged by Road Marshals is because they suspect that no matter what they present, the Road Marshal would always come up with another joker all in an attempt to fault the motorist. These worries are no doubt genuine as it shows that no matter what we think about our driving habits, there are indeed good Nigerian motorists as well as patriotic Nigerians willing to drive by the rules.
While reflecting on these requests before my decision to address the issues, I recalled a lovely book one of my mentors gave me. The book is titled, “The Race” by Mac Anderson. I have since become an addict with his inspirational writings. Of all his writings that I have read, “The Strangest Secrets “remain my most cherished collection so far. This addiction explains why I have chosen the title of the book as the topic for today. My reasons are very simple. The “Race “ by Mac Anderson, the Founder of Simple Truths and Successories, Incorporation, the leader in designing and marketing products for motivation and recognition in the United States of America tells the heart-wrenching story of a boy struggling against failures in a race, the temptation to quit and the inspiration to keep going.
According to the book, as the boy runs, three times he fell, stumbled, yet three times he rose again. Although he was too far behind to win, he still ran to the end. Whenever he falls down, he remembers his father’s powerful words of encouragement saying, “Get Up and take your place; You were not meant for failures here; get up and win the Race”. “For all of us, life is like that Race, with ups and downs and all. And all you have to do to win, is rise each time you fall .Driving is part of life. It is like a Race, You take off at a point not knowing what awaits you as you cruise to your destination; a tyre burst, a brake failure, a steering lock or loss of control as a result of fatigue. In this Race, you win when you arrive at your destination without hiccups, without a crash, without damage to your precious car-whether fatal or serious. However, you lose when either of the above happens and in the worst scenario, your loved one ends up seven feet down because of those daily errors that we indulge in thinking it will never happen.
Like the story of the boy in the Race, you represent the boy whenever you set out on that journey while the Road Marshal or the Corps represents the boy’s father whose words of encouragement daily urges you to beware; To pick up the pieces each time you make that mistake that quite often, cripples someone or kills another by learning to do it right next time. When we issue you that ticket for driving and phoning, the intention is to deter you from doing it again because one day it will lead to the death of someone.
When you heed to our numerous messages of life, we collectively make the Roads Safer, reduce crashes and therefore have no reason buch-passing. This is why laying the foundation is necessary before going into what you must have- you are your own safety, not the Road Marshal. Before I address this issue, I would like to advise every driver, potential driver or road user. As a Christian, we are admonished to buy the truth and sell it not. That truth we only find in the Bible, the same applies to my Muslim Brothers who must always clutch the Koran jealously seeking the wisdom of Almighty Allah.
The point being made is that every motorist eager to increase his knowledge should endeavor to be a master of two vital documents-the Revised Highway Code and the 2012, National Road Traffic Regulations, including the 2007 Federal Road Safety Corps Act. The list is inexhaustible. There are other Traffic Regulations such as the New Traffic Laws in Lagos for those of us in Lagos. Internalizing the contents of these Traffic Laws serves dual purpose-sound knowledge of the relevant Traffic Laws, road signs. Compliance with these which could save you as our insensitivity to these and road rage is responsible for the crash trend. Secondly, such knowledge naturally provides you with necessary information to take care of the fear expressed weekly by some readers. Remember the saying that knowledge is power. A driver who flaunts years of driving experience that dates to the Lord Luggard era with no Knowledge of the rules of engagement on the road is like a mine-field waiting to explore.
Now, I would love to ask these questions and would appreciate very sincere responses from readers. This is because such feed-back go a long way in shaping what we do and how we perceive the Corps efforts at redressing crashes on the highway. Why do you think crashes don’t seem to improve appreciably despite the Corps efforts? What do you think is your role as a road user? As a Corporate Organization? As a traffic Officer? As a Licensing Official? As a rescue worker? As a parent, especially a mother? A teacher or Pastor? Union Official?
Do you know that a road crash is someone’s fault, your fault; just think back, reflect on that crash. It does not matter whether someone died or not, just reflect on the things you did or did not do before it happened. What was your state of mind? Did you leave Home Angry, Did you have enough rest? How good was your Health? Sound or Suspect? What was the State of your Vehicle? Sound or Manageable-Worn out tyres, faulty brakes, malfunctioning engine or electrical systems? What was the road like? The weather? How familiar were you to that road? When was the last time you drove by that same road? How many Road Signs do you know and do you comply with them? Do you enjoy flouting traffic rules and yet you believe nothing will Happen? Do you know that more than 80% of crashes are due to such lawlessness, pedestrian and driver negligence and ignorance which has a huge financial cost and attendant suffering?
Now, why do you think these crashes happen? Do you think they are crashes which are someone’s Fault? Or accidents which are something that happens unexpectedly and is not planned in advance. Do you think it is the will of God as someone will say or the handwork of your enemy or some invisible forces. Behind every crash, is someone’s fault. I know that a lot of us would say that someone is the Government; its Agencies or the other road user. Take the case of the ongoing campaign on crash helmets, each time we insist on compliance, people insist the road must be fixed first.When we talk about use of seat belts, what you hear is please go check speed on the highway. No one ever reflects on those deliberate errors that ultimately send someone seven feet. Whatever we think, remember that all these boil down to human error, negligence or insensitivity to the three indices that play vital roles-the environment, weather, motor vehicle.
My choice to detour is to make us appreciate the fact that while we think about the Road Marshal as a fun spoiler, that same Marshal’s concern is about our safety to stay alive. That is his first concern. That is his passion, this is why i’m throwing light on today’s topic, laying the foundation is paramount. That foundation is the driver who likes the boy and as a human being makes mistakes; sometimes deliberate and must always reflect on our guidance to do it right. In doing it right, the driver remains our focus. This is because once we get it right with drivers, we will succeed in making our roads better. This is why I found it quite amusing when last week I received some interesting text urging me to discuss the issues and not dodge the focus. To be candid, when I set out to answer your numerous requests, I thought very few people were interested. I never knew that there were a hand- full of readers who were in league with others.
Now that we have laid the foundation for this piece, I hope you will bear with me and allow me to treat this my usual way. Remember, I am still waiting for responses on the numerous questions that I asked, since I told you that drivers hold the key to redressing road crashes. The next thing you must know is in handling road abuses. The Traffic Regulations, 2012 makes it explicit that only Licensed Drivers must be on the road. In Section 22(8) it shall be an offence for an unlicensed person and a person under 18years to drive a vehicle or ride a motorcycle on the highway.
