By Oriasotie E. Mirabel, JS2A
An accident is a situation in which someone is injured or something is damaged without anybody intending it to be that way. An accident may also be a crash that involves cars, lorries, trains, planes, etc. A road crash occurs when two or more cars hit each other or something else extremely hard while moving, thereby causing a lot of damage.
In Nigeria, a number of things are often responsible for road accidents. One of these things is over speeding (driving too fast). This is a situation in which a driver drives a car far above 100km/h speed. A car could easily crash as the driver may not be able to control the vehicle in an emergency situation – if there is a need to do so. If a crash occurs at such speed, it is usually very serious and may be fatal (resulting in death(s)).
Another cause of road accidents in Nigeria is bad roads. Some roads are badly constructed and have deteriorated over time due to lack of maintenance. Hence potholes may occur in any section of the road. Vehicles plying these bad roads may have their tires and other vital parts damaged, leaving them prone to accident; somersault, burst tyre, brake failure among others.
Drunkenness is also a major cause of road accidents in Nigeria. Drivers who have taken alcohol may not be in full control of their senses or may not see well, especially at night when such accidents usually occur as they may not see oncoming vehicles well to avoid a collision.
The federal government has established an agency to ensure safety on our roads in the country. The agency is the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), and its responsibility includes checking vehicles’ physical conditions (tires, brakes, lightning, fire extinguisher, etc). It also ensures that road users comply with road safety rules and regulations.
Oriasotie is of JSS Mpape, Abuja.
