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Kolawole Ajayi: You Should Add Driving Safe to Your New Year Resolutions
It is that time of the year when we celebrate the end of one year and the beginning of a new one. It is also the period when we reflect on how far we have come, how well we have done and possibly attitudes to drop, and those to adopt and manifest. Diverse sentiments have been attached to the celebration of a new year. However, one thing seems to have been constant: New Year resolutions. People look forward to celebrating the new year to start afresh. So in the spirit of starting afresh, it is important to include safe driving in your resolutions for the year and make a commitment to stop some dangerous traffic habits we may have adopted. Let me highlight some of these habits:
Disregarding traffic officers and signs
This year, everyone must respect the traffic officers and signs to avoid crash challenges in Nigeria. As of 13 December 2023, the World Health Organisation reported that 92% of the world’s fatalities on the roads occur in low-and middle-income countries, even though these countries have around 60% of the world’s vehicles. Consequently, road traffic crashes result in the loss of approximately 1.19 million people around the world each year and leave between 20 and 50 million people with non-fatal injuries. Unfortunately, these can all be traced to how people defy simple road rules, signs and enforcement officers.
Unnecessary vehicle idling
Vehicle idling means when a vehicle’s engine is left running without the car moving. It means keeping the engine on while not actively driving the car. Although it helps with the ease of movement of the vehicle, it leads to increased fuel consumption, wear and tear of the engine, and more harmful vehicle exhaust emissions in the air. Meanwhile, vehicle exhaust contains air pollutants linked to acid rain, climate change and other environmental problems. You may be wondering about the effect of constant switching off of a vehicle’s ignition on fuel consumption. However, it is important to know most cars around now require much less fuel to restart than some people think. Idling for just 30 seconds wastes more fuel than restarting the engine.
Driving your vehicle without regular maintenance
Automobiles need regular maintenance. Like humans are required to maintain hygiene, automobiles also need to be kept clean. It is suggested that vehicle owners carry out regular and periodic checks on their vehicles. The proper maintenance of a vehicle is key to keeping it in good working condition. It also helps ensure the owner’s safety and other road users. A few of the car maintenance checklists include proper and accurate inflation of tyres, change of engine oil and other important fluids, headlights and taillights, air filters, windshield wipers, and others. Driving vehicles without regular maintenance. leads to vehicle breakdowns, crashes and unfortunately, the death of road users.
Recording crash victims
I have heard on many occasions that passers-by and some other road users prefer to record crash victims experiencing pains as against calling the personnel of the Federal Road Safety Corps or rescuing them to the nearest hospital. Some people surprisingly go as far as posting these victims on social media in their vulnerable state. The usual excuse they give is that hospitals don’t attend or neglect crash victims. Thankfully, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammed Ali Pate, ordered hospitals in the country to prioritise saving lives above anything else. He further stated that the Federal Government has issued a directive to always save lives first before making any other demands. So this new development should put an end to the recording of victims instead of taking them to the nearest health facility.
Road rage and other unsafe traffic attitudes
It surprises me when I see people, particularly grown-ups, easily pick fights with strangers, especially on highways. We should avoid road rage and attitudes like failure to give right of way, inability to give equal respect to other road users and many others that can lead to road rage. You are driving to get to your destination safely and not to pick up a fight with a stranger. Also, attitudes like indiscriminate and abrupt parking to pick up passengers, driving annoyingly slow on fast lanes and, speeding on slow lanes are advised to be dropped in this new year. Those who stop to watch disputes on the road, instead of resolving them, should also avoid that this year. This causes congestion on the road.
Let’s make a resolution to follow traffic rules and regulations this new year. All highways and expressways have standard speed limits, and as responsible road users, we should drive within the speed limit. Avoid dangerous driving practices like overtaking, speeding in corners, fighting, and arguing with random strangers while driving. We can all contribute to solving global warming issues by regularly maintaining our vehicles and avoiding car idling to reduce general car emissions. If we must idle our cars, we should do so only when we are not sure of our safety. Remember, it’s not about who is right or wrong while driving, but about everyone reaching their destination safely.
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