Concerned lawmakers are taking steps to ensure every Nigerian driver possesses a level of literacy as well as legal driving documentation.
The motion on the need to check the literacy level and driving documentations of drivers in Nigeria was raised by Katsina representative, Senator Umaru Kurfi.
Senators in Nigeria have ascribed the alarming rate of road accidents in Nigeria to lack of literacy and driving documents.
As a result of this, the concerned lawmakers are taking steps to ensure every Nigerian driver possesses a level of literacy as well as legal driving documentation.
The Senate asked the Committee on Transport to summon stakeholders on road safety matters to ensure that drivers have the necessary qualifications in addition to being able to read, write and communicate effectively in English.
The motion on the need to check the literacy level and driving documentations of drivers in Nigeria was raised by Katsina representative, Senator Umaru Kurfi.
Senator Kurfi’s take on curbing alarming rate of road accidents
Senator Kurfi’s motion was titled “Need to address the low level of literacy among drivers in Nigeria.”
“The alarming rate of road accidents can be attributed largely to the recklessness and low level of literacy among drivers. The drivers have little or no knowledge of semiotic signs that guide the use of roads. It is even a challenge to identify the various particulars assigned to their vehicles and this has given rise to forgery and fake documentation of car particulars,” he said.
Furthermore, the Senator lamented the appalling rate at which many commercial motorcycle riders popularly referred to as Okada riders are under-aged.
He said: “The high rate of road accidents caused by motorcycles popularly known as “Okada’’ is not news any longer. The use of Okada has become such a menace that some cities in the country had to ban it. It is appalling to note that Okada riders on close scrutiny, are children, some less than 18 years and with very little or no education on navigation and understanding of road signs and their applications.”
Road accidents on the rise
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said Nigeria recorded 11,363 road accidents in 2016.
The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) corroborated the statistic saying 90% of the road accidents in 2016 involved drivers under the influence of alcohol and drugs.
The FRSC further said speed violation, loss of control and dangerous driving accounted for the 10% of the statistics on the road accidents.
(Business Insider)
