November 25th, 2024, Nigerians celebrated the miraculous survival of the driver of a Toyota Corolla who was rescued after 3 hours from under a container that fell off a trailer on the Mile 2 Bridge in Lagos.
On a regular basis, road crashes involving heavy-duty vehicles have plagued road users so much that many people now have genuine phobia for driving beside, in front of or behind heavy-duty vehicles on Nigerian roads. And this fear can largely be substantiated due to the nature of incidents involving them. Sadly, there also seems to be an unspoken rivalry between the drivers of these vehicles and other drivers or riders hence the competition on the roads can be manifestly noticed with unpleasant outcomes.
Just this morning, I drove behind an unlatched and ready to fall off container being carried by a trailer with the driver not concerned about the dangers of his actions.
It can be said that Nigeria’s growing economy has led to a surge in container traffic on our roads. While this is a positive sign for the country’s development, it has also brought with it a significant increase in the number of container crashes. These can be devastating, causing loss of life, property damage, and traffic disruption.
A number of factors contribute to container crashes on Nigerian roads.
These include:
Poor road infrastructure: Nigeria’s roads are often in poor condition, with potholes, cracks, and other hazards. This can make it difficult for drivers to maintain control of their vehicles, especially when carrying heavy loads and driving old, un / improperly maintained vehicles.
Overloading: Many container trucks are overloaded, which can make them more difficult to handle and increase the risk of accidents.
Driver Impairment: Drivers who are tired, fatigued or under the influence of drugs or alcohol are more likely to make mistakes, which can lead to accidents.
Lack of driver training: Many truck drivers in Nigeria have not received adequate training, which can also contribute to accidents.
Poor maintenance: Many container trucks are not properly maintained, which can lead to mechanical failures. Many of them actually have even gotten beyond their end of life and should be scrapped yet they are still actively working on our roads.
The crude revenue collection by louts who break side mirrors, taillights and other safety enhancing parts of these vehicles also contribute because the owners and drivers then refuse to replace such damaged parts.
The Consequences of Container Accidents
Container accidents can have a number of serious consequences, including:
Loss of Life: Sadly, container accidents often result in the loss of life, both of drivers and other road users.
Property damage: Container accidents can cause significant damage to vehicles, property, and infrastructure.
Traffic disruption: Container accidents can cause major traffic jams, which can disrupt the flow of goods and services.
Economic loss: The cost of container accidents to the Nigerian economy is significant. These accidents can lead to lost productivity, increased insurance costs, and damage to infrastructure.
What Can Be Done to Prevent Container Accidents
There are a number of steps that can be taken to prevent container accidents on Nigerian roads. These include:
Improving road infrastructure: The Nigerian government needs to invest in improving the country’s road infrastructure. This includes repairing potholes, resurfacing roads, and building new roads.
Enforcing weight limits: The government also needs to enforce weight limits on container trucks. This will help to reduce the risk of overloading.
Improving driver training: Truck drivers need to receive adequate training on how to safely operate their vehicles.
Increasing maintenance: Container trucks need to be properly maintained to ensure that they are in good working order.
Raising awareness: The public needs to be made aware of the dangers of container accidents. This can be done through public education campaigns.
Some state governments like Lagos also declare specific routes blockages for heavy-duty vehicles as part of their own measures to mitigate against these incidents.
Also, there are some more steps that can be taken to prevent these accidents. By working together, the government, the trucking industry, and the public can make Nigerian roads safer for everyone.
The main parties to effect this improvement are the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), being the Federal government agency responsible for road safety in Nigeria, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), the agency that is responsible for regulating the movement of goods through Nigerian ports, and the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), the largest trade union for road transport workers in Nigeria and her anciliary bodies.
Not too long ago, the Federal Government regulation meant to checkmate incessant accidents involving container-carrying trucks on major roads; the Nigerian Ports Authority Minimum Safety Standard (MSS) regime for trucks and articulated vehicles was instituted.
The government agencies mandated with the responsibility of ensuring that the procedure for the MSS is complied with include the Nigerian Port Authority as the lead agency, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
These government agencies are expected to subject every heavy-duty vehicle to physical inspection under the MSS regime and every successful vehicles that pass this inspection test is given a sticker called the MSS Sticker which is renewable every year at a cost of N10,000.
The roles of the FRSC in the MSS regime include monitoring, certifying, registering and enforcing compliance with regulations governing the safety operations of heavy-duty articulated vehicles in Nigeria.
“Statutorily, before any driver could be permitted to operate articulated vehicles on the nation’s highways, especially on inter-city roads, he has to be certified in skills,” an FRSC official who wouldn’t want to be quoted stated.
The NPA, through Messrs. Trucks Transit Park (TTP), operators of the electronic call-up system, ensures that trucks that enter the ports to pick cargoes have the MSS sticker while the terminal operators are expected to instruct their personnel not to load any container on substandard trucks.
But how well this system has worked begs for answers.