• 6, 131 Okada Accidents, 148 Deaths Recorded
THE Lagos State government has disclosed that 13,398 road accidents, which included commercial motorcycle, popularly called Okada, were recorded in the last 15 months. Out of these mishaps, 148 deaths were recorded.
The State government disclosed this in a joint press briefing held in Ikeja, at the weekend, by the Commissioners for Transportation, Health as well as Information and strategy, Mr. Kayode Opeifa, Dr. Jide Idris and Mr. Aderemi Ibirogba in that order. They, however, vowed to commence aggressive enforcement of the road traffic laws, saying the level of disobedience of the law has increased since January 2013.
Explaining that the data were gathered from the Health Ministry's periodic survey in various public health institutions, Idris said the data explained the reason the State government embarked on the enforcement of the new road traffic law.
According to the statistics: "13, 398 road traffic accidents were recorded in the State from January, 2012 to March 2013, while vehicle were 7, 267, Okada accidents recorded 6,131 in the last 15 months."
"For commercial motorcycles, the peak was in February 2012 and August 2012. In August, we recorded 646 commercial motorcycle accidents while in February it went to 696. But from August, we have experienced a steady decline in the number of road accidents. As at March 2013, it has declined to 126 due to the introduction of the road traffic law in August last year", said Opeifa.
It will be recalled that the state governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, signed into law, the new road traffic act, to improve security and safety within the State.
Idris said, "from January 2012 to March 2013, we recorded 148 deaths from Okada accidents. In 2013, we recorded 4 deaths, which occurred on roads not included in the 475 roads where Okada operations were outlawed."
"Of the 24 major health facilities in the State, Isolo, Ifako-Ijaiye, Surulere and Badagry General Hospitals recorded a frequency of more than 50 per cent of Okada accidents during the period under review."
The commissioner lamented that road traffic accident is a non-communicable disease, urging drivers to abstain from alcohol while driving.
However, the aim of the government at passing the law, according to Opeifa, was to achieve a zero accidents rate, as this will reduce the number of deaths that could be recorded in the State.
"When we began the enforcement of the law, the total number of vehicles impounded in September reduced by 386 (16.9 per cent) and 818 (35.9 per cent) in December 2012, which showed voluntary compliance by the residents of the State.
"This showed that there was a sharp drop in the number of total violation from October to December 2012; however, the number of total violation began to rise steadily with a peak in February 2013, he said.
In January 5,624 traffic laws were violated by road users, in February it rose to 6, 952 while March had 6, 566. And vehicle apprehended by the men of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, has also increased from 1, 854 in January to 2011 in March 2013.
"This suggests that there is need for continuous enforcement activities and public enlightenment to sustain compliance of the law," Opeifa said.
The Guardian
That is as a result of the multiple bad roads we parade in this country. It is just too bad. So many people die everyday in Lagos