Speed limits, the commercial driver and FRSC
Driving Under Influence (DUI) and over-speeding are very synonymous with the commercial transport system in Nigeria.
These two road violations often result to deadly road accidents.
The Federal Road Safety Corps has said that it will commence the enforcement of the installation of the speed limit device in commercial vehicles on October 1,2016.
According to Ibrahim, a truck driver from Sokoto who just arrived Lagos, “Walahi, how you go drive from 5pm to 5am straight without taking something? To dey drive for that long with clear eyes no easy. This FRSC law wey dem just bring say no speeding and driving under the influence no go work. With which eye I wan dey take monitor my speed? Make dem do good road instead of installing speed limit devices.”
This driver is one of many commercial drivers. The National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) may also disagree on the compulsion of speed limit devices.
While getting caught for DUI may be an easy pill for them to swallow, the speed limit device may not be.
The Punch reported that, “The union, which earlier supported the implementation date, had last week called for its postponement, saying its members could not afford the device now and citing the prevailing economic situation in the country.”
Corps Marshal, Boboye Oyeyemi, in an interview with the press on Tuesday in Abuja, said the FRSC will commence enforcement on October 1, explicitly stating that the plan was not to confiscate froward vehicles, stating that the implementation will be a continuous process.
Over-speeding and DUI are killing many people in Nigeria. The NURTW and FRSC should meet halfway and reach a lasting agreement on installation of the speed limit device so recurring road accidents can be the least of our problems.
