HIGHWAYS OF DEATH: 28,195 killed in road accidents in 68 months

EVERY four hours, no fewer than two lives are lost on Nigerian roads. And every year, about 20,000 of the 11.654 million vehicles in the country are involved in accidents, Sunday Vanguard’s investigations and analysis of data released by the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, and the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, have shown. According to the NBS, the number of lives lost to road traffic accidents from January 2013 to June 2018 are as follows: 2013 – 5,539; 2014 – 4,430; 2015 – 5,400; (FRSC): 2016 – 5,053; 2017 – 5,049; January to June, 2018 – 2,623. Sunday Vanguard’s tally indicated that between July and September 7, 2018, no fewer than 126 lives had also been wasted in road crashes. 

Summation of these figures gives a heartrending total of 28,195 lives crushed in 68 months, an equivalent of 415 lives per month, 14 persons per day, and two lives every four hours. 

This makes Nigeria one of the countries with very high road fatalities in the world. Indeed, in May 2017, the FRSC said that there were 33.7 deaths per 100,000 people in Nigeria every year, making Nigeria one of the countries with the highest number of fatalities in Africa. The FRSC Corps Marshal, Boboye Oyeyemi, made the disclosure during the flag-off of the Global Road Safety Week at the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Secretariat, Kaduna. Zimbabwe has the worst road fatality in the world with 74.5 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. The world average is 17.4; Africa is 26.6; and, according to the International Transport Forum, ITF, Road Safety Annual Report for 2018, the fatality rate for South Africa is 21 while Norway has the least road fatality with two deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. 

As of March 2018, the NBS put the number of registered vehicles in Nigeria at 11,653,871. With an estimated population of 198 million, the vehicle per population ratio is 0.06. Since most crashes involve at least two vehicles, and given that 10,026 crashes were recorded in 2017, it means that at least 20,000 of the 11.654 million registered vehicles were affected in the crashes. The figure would be more, if multiple auto crashes were included.

Causes of accidents 

The World Health Organisation, WHO, has listed the causes of accidents to include speeding (4-5 per cent); driving under the influence of alcohol and other psychoactive substances; non-use of motorcycle helmets, seat-belts, and child restraints; distracted driving; unsafe road infrastructure; unsafe vehicles; inadequate post-crash care; and inadequate law enforcement of traffic laws. 

Virtually all of the causes are prevalent in Nigeria, especially unsafe road infrastructure. Most of the road networks are in decrepit state and can best be described as roads to hell where human lives are wasted daily. 

The Lagos-Badagry International Highway is one of such roads and this is in spite of the ongoing conversion of the road into 10-lane super highway with rail line by the Lagos State Government with World Bank funds. Currently, many stretches of the road are death traps accounting for recurring accidents daily. Given the humongous lives that are wasted on our roads across the country with the attendant socio-economic losses, all stakeholders must join forces to make Nigerian roads safe. 

The WHO Global Status Report on Road Safety 2017 said that, approximately 1.25 million people die each year on the world’s roads, and between 20 and 50 million sustain non-fatal injuries. The Global Status Report on Road Safety is the first broad assessment of the road safety situation in 178 countries, using data drawn from a standardized survey. 

The results show that road traffic injuries remain an important public health problem, particularly for low-income and middle-income countries like Nigeria. 

WHO key facts The newly adopted 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has set an ambitious target of halving the global number of deaths and injuries from road traffic crashes by 2020. Without sustained action, road traffic crashes are predicted to become the seventh leading cause of death by 2030. Road traffic crashes cost most countries 3% of their gross domestic product. Nearly half of those dying on the world’s roads are “vulnerable road users”: pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists. 90% of the world’s fatalities on the roads occur in low- and middle-income countries, even though these countries have approximately 54% of the world’s vehicles. Road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death among people aged between 15 and 29 years. More than 1.25 million people die each year as a result of road traffic crashes.

Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/09/highways-of-death-28195-killed-in-road-accidents-in-68-months/

WHO key facts 

• The newly adopted 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has set an ambitious target of halving the global number of deaths and injuries from road traffic crashes by 2020. 
• Without sustained action, road traffic crashes are predicted to become the seventh leading cause of death by 2030. 
• Road traffic crashes cost most countries 3% of their gross domestic product. 
• Nearly half of those dying on the world’s roads are “vulnerable road users”: pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists. 
• 90% of the world’s fatalities on the roads occur in low- and middle-income countries, even though these countries have approximately 54% of the world’s vehicles. 
• Road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death among people aged between 15 and 29 years. 
• More than 1.25 million people die each year as a result of road traffic crashes.

How Nigeria lost 28,195 lives to road crashes in 68 months 

According to the FRSC, there were 12,077 road accidents of which 5,400 persons died in 2015. 

In 2016, the NBS said there were 11,363 crashes with 5,053 deaths; and in 2017, 10,026 crashes and 5,049 deaths. Broken down further, the 5,049 deaths of 2017 occurred as follows: First quarter, 1,466; second quarter, 1,207; third quarter, 1,070, and fourth quarter, 1,306 deaths. In the first quarter of 2018, the NBS said that 1,292 people died in 2,482 road accidents in Nigeria. 

Speed violation was reported as the major cause of road crashes in Q1 and it accounted for 50.81 per cent of the total road crashes reported. Tyre burst and dangerous driving followed closely, accounting for 8.26% and 8.42% respectively of the total road crashes recorded. 

The second quarter 2018 road transport data released by the NBS, penultimate week, showed that road traffic accidents killed 1,331 Nigerians in 2608 crashes. Also, speed violation is reported as the major cause of road crashes in the second quarter of 2018 and it accounted for 50.65 per cent of the total road crashes reported. Also, tyre burst and dangerous driving followed closely as they both accounted for 8.59 per cent and 8.40 per cent of the total road crashes recorded.

WHO key facts The newly adopted 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has set an ambitious target of halving the global number of deaths and injuries from road traffic crashes by 2020. Without sustained action, road traffic crashes are predicted to become the seventh leading cause of death by 2030. Road traffic crashes cost most countries 3% of their gross domestic product. Nearly half of those dying on the world’s roads are “vulnerable road users”: pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists. 90% of the world’s fatalities on the roads occur in low- and middle-income countries, even though these countries have approximately 54% of the world’s vehicles. Road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death among people aged between 15 and 29 years. More than 1.25 million people die each year as a result of road traffic crashes.

Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/09/highways-of-death-28195-killed-in-road-accidents-in-68-months/