I was a year older on October 1,2022.On that date,I did my usual. First, I took time to thank God for His mercies. I also appropriated all the prayers made on that same date over my beloved country Nigeria .That date enabled me to reflect on life, family and my career. I also reflected on my fears, strengths and potentials especially especially with respect to all my years in the Federal Road Safety Corps where I have spent the better part of my life striving to add some value. My mind equally reflected on global happenings, the ongoing electioneering and the development in the United Kingdom.
October 1,also offered me the opportunity to reflect on driving in Nigeria after 34years since the Corps was established;on our potentials and feat as well as our failures in moulding the driving habits among the general populace . I also reflected on some of my colleagues in uniform who till date assume that they are above the law despite the numbers who have lost their lives in avoidable road traffic crashes. I reflected on the ones who daily assault and bruise our operatives for daring to demand that they drive above board by respecting the rules guiding responsible behaviour.
While reflceting on our driving culture, I tried to contrast our driving with what obtains in the United Kingdom.I remembered that despite being a christain Nation, we are more religious than they are in the UK,yet their driving is built around one of the most treasured virtue in driving while the reverse is the case among us. What really amazes me about the United Kingdom is the level of patience of the average driver as well as the shared behavioural tendencies which is rare in our clime. For the records ,I need to remind you that unlike our clime with wide roads, their roads are not that wide. Equally interesting are some of their roundabouts which could be missed by a first time visitor unlike ours where the simple rule of giving way to the driver on the left is never adhered to unless there is a ftaffic officer to guide us. .Despite these, it amazes me how patiently drivers in the United Kingdom without the presence of road safety Marshal,traffic wardens or physically challenged people turned traffic wardens,display a responsible sense of driving and sharing the road with others while rarely honking their horns. The reverse is the case here where almost every driver competes on the best in honking.
My reflections brought to my memory, a piece I once did to capture the crazy driving habit of the average driver .I am tempted to capture snippets of that piece to drive home my concern especially as we gradually draw the curtains on the month of October preparatory to entering the eleventh month of the year and then the final month of December when irresponsible driving is heightened all in the name of the air of celebrations.
If you read my piece a fortnight ago on tailgating ,you will recall my counsel on the need to be patient as I reminded you that tailgaters are not patient drivers. This is why my focus today is on the virtue called patience which a rare commodity among motorists. Patience is a virtue while impatience on the road is a reckless habit. An impatient driver you must know is as dangerous as a distracted one. Impatience can and leads to the following bad driving behaviour; speeding, tailgating, illegal lane changes as well as road rage which are all possible cause of road traffic crashes . How can impatient driving affect you?
Let us look at what dangerous driver impatience is .For the record, impatience can affect almost all of a drivers habit on the wheel.For example,a driver who is rushing to round up with school runs will naturally speed above the limit permitted by the law. Drivers who tailgate or overtake wrongfully are always irritated by the slow driver ahead or by the long queue ahead. This explains why some drivers overtake over two or more cars instead of restricting themselves to the overtaking rules which permits you to overtake only one vehicle at a time. The increasing traffic light infractions in cities such as Abuja,Lagos,Port Harcourt are borne out of impatience. This also explains other violations such as wrongful overtaking, and driving against the flow of traffic.Impatient drivers are also more likely to run red lights, ignore traffic signs, or disregard others’ right of way.
Globally,the United Nations and the World Health Organisation are battling on effective strategies to curp excessive speeding which is the number one killer on the road.The case in Nigeria is not different.Excessive speeding which tops causative factors behind road traffic crashes in our clime is one of the most dangerous habits of impatient drivers. A look at the data for road traffic crashes in Nigeria in the last five or more years will reveal that excessive speeding always tops the chat while drink driving,use of phone while driving among other infractions follow . Despite these ratings,you must realise that both drink driving,use of phone while driving and other infractions are equally dangerous driving habits to avoid. Therefore, you should not ignore the risks these pose as speeding and driver impatience are equally as dangerous.
If you did not read my piece on tailgating,I will advise that you do so.This is because tailgating like I wrote last week is another driving habit related to impatience. Statistics reveals that in a good number of developed climes, a significant number of drivers involved in road traffic crashes were doing what I call ‘the kiss me I kiss you driving;meaning they were following the other vehicle too closely.
Impatient driving accounts for other bad driving behaviours that often lead to avoidable road traffic crashes.These include improper lane changes,failure to yield to other vehicles,running red lights or traffic lights infractions as well as improper turns without due notice to the vehicle behind. One of the worst impatience driving related behaviour is dangerous driving or road rage.
As we gradually navigate this month of my birthday, please kindly reflect on how you drove the past ten months of 2022. Have you been driving patiently? Are you one of the rage drivers in town? Do you let your personal problems ;financial or emotional affect your driving? Do you have a penchant for flouting traffic rules at will?All that is required is a change in your driving habits. Imbibing patience and being discipline remains fundamental.
As we prepare for another celebration in a couple of weeks, don’t get too spiritual. Pray as you drive but avoid tempting God by passing the buck to him. In the words of an observer, “we are the only being that has left everything to the will of God while the rest of the world is busy finding solutions to safety issues. We plead the blood, blame the devil, blame government and its agencies while our responsibility as citizens who directly bear the brunt of road crashes is played down.
