victims forum
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The PATVORA Organisation relies on its advocates to fight for:
In Nigeria, PATVORA is working at the National level to ensure that road safety activities get appropriate funding and that road accident victims get prompt attention.
Consequent, PATVORA intends to make the following presentations to the National Assembly in the 3rd quarter of the year, 2005. Legislative PrioritiesThe below stated legislative priorities are intended to present to the National Assembly the opportunity of addressing the global road safety crisis, which kills nearly 1.2million people and injures between 20 and 50 million people every year with the developing world having a disproportionate share of 90% of road fatalities and Nigeria having a huge proportion of road deaths in Africa. This presentation acknowledges the following:- (A).
That the return of democracy in Nigeria has brought progress but the war
against road crashes is far from an end and it is obvious that actions taken
to date are inadequate for the challenges of safer roads. (B).
That Road traffic injuries are a National problem affecting all sectors of
society but to date, road safety has received insufficient attention at the
national and state levels. This has resulted in part from: a lack of
information on the magnitude of the problem and its preventability; a
fatalistic approach to road crashes; and a lack of the political
responsibility and multidisciplinary collaboration needed to tackle it
effectively. (C).
That the Federal Road
Safety Commission (FRSC)
has had the merit of stabilising the rate of road crashes in spite of the
considerable increase in the volume of road traffic during the last few
years, but this stabilisation is not sufficient as the number of lives lost
in road traffic in Nigeria annually is almost equal to the number of
fatalities that occur in the entire European continent. Thus, road safety in
Nigeria requires a progressive decrease of rate of road traffic injuries. (D).
That the cost for the non-enhancement of road safety measures, show without
ambiguity, that the enormous loss the Nigerian society incurs is about 2-3
percent of its GDP and that the WHO/WB estimate that road traffic injuries
now cost USD 500 billion worldwide, of which around USD 100 billion per year
is lost in the developing world is very disturbing. Such recurring annual
losses in Nigeria amount to more than the total annual development aid
per year that is received from the developed countries. (E.)
That, the resources lost to road traffic injuries inhibit Nigeria’s social
and economic development. These are resources that no country can afford to
lose, as the losses perpetuate poverty. The economic impact of road traffic
injuries is especially damaging, particularly for a country like Nigeria
that is struggling with poverty alleviation and the overall challenges of
development, because economically active age groups are the most vulnerable
to such injuries. (F).
That road traffic injury has caused significant losses in Nigeria and the
destruction of lives equates to annihilating the entire population of a
large town or small city yearly and it will continue to destroy lives and
blight the future for hundreds of thousands of our men, women and children
unless we take decisive action. (G).
That besides the direct physical and psychological impact on those directly
affected by road traffic injuries, road crashes place a heavy burden on
those involved with the victims especially in our peculiar situation where
many victims are primary breadwinners and their loss or disability has a
ripple effect, perpetuating the suffering and poverty of dependants due to
reduced family incomes. (H).
That road traffic injury involves issues of equity. They disproportionately
affect the poor, for the reason that the majority of roads crash victims are
vulnerable road users (pedestrians, cyclists, children, passengers). A
further inequity issue is that poorer socio-economic groups in Nigeria are
people who will never be able to afford a car and in the event of road
crashes have less access to medical services, leading to disparities in
chances of recovery or survival. (I).
That we cannot accept a situation where the lives and health of our citizens
are permanently at risk owing to everyday preventable road crashes that can
be addressed through an efficient road safety policy. (J).
That if we are to face up to the frightening statistics that at present over
8% of hospital beds are occupied by road crash victims and 85 people die on
Nigerian roads everyday as a result of road crashes as presented by a
Central Bank of Nigeria sponsored study, then we must set a minimum target
of halving the number of road deaths by 2010. (K).
That effective and sustainable prevention of road traffic injuries can be
achieved through concerted multi-sectorial collaboration. The challenges to
road safety are simply too great and the opportunities for innovation and
development too complex for any single organisation to succeed on its own
without partnerships and adequate funding. (L).
That if we are to end this shameful slaughter on the roads of Nigeria, then
there must be decisive, committed action. There must be vigorous
enforcement, courageous decision by the government, effective public private
partnerships, education campaigns and a commitment from all those involved,
particularly road users, to work together and unite towards significantly
reducing this intolerable waste of human lives. (M).
That road safety is inadequately researched in Nigeria. Information is
lacking on many aspects of the problem. Funding for research relating to
road traffic injuries is disproportionately low given the impact it has on
both mortality and morbidity. A lack of research means that the magnitude of
the problem, its impacts and the cost and effectiveness of intervention are
not fully understood. (N).
That a number of strategies and policies have contributed to dramatic
decreases in road crashes in developed countries. However, these strategies
may not be simply transferred to Nigeria due to economic and technical
factors. The challenge is to adapt and evaluate these strategies, or create
new strategies supported by collaboration between the FRSC and other
credible stakeholders that have an interest in road safety (for example,
victims’ organizations, vehicle manufacturers, road transport unions,
insurance and oil companies). (O).
That given the existing inequity by the government of investing increasing
resources in other killer diseases and air safety while overlooking the road
safety needs of the larger part of the population, there is urgent need for
increased funding and high-level support for the FRSC but through fresh
initiatives that would rely less on only the resources of the federal
government. (P).
That the tremendous impact of road crashes on families and society calls for
urgent actions, appropriate to the gravity of the problem. Failure to do so,
will mean that by the year 2020, which the WHO has predicted that road
traffic injuries will be the 3rd killer disease, hundreds of
thousands of road users in Nigeria will die on the road and many more will
spend most of their lives suffering the trauma of physical, mental and
emotional disability that result from injuries caused by traffic collisions. (Q).
That the consumption of alcohol significantly contributes to increase in
road crashes in Nigeria; unfortunately 95% of alcohol manufacturers in
Nigeria are complacent about the dangerous consequences of their product. (R).
That there is no National Fund to assist victims of road crash during their
period of crash, hospitalisation or rehabilitation. (S).
That past studies carried out on the drivers’ license scheme has
shown that over 60% of those who drive on Nigerian roads did not undergo any
form of practical driving test before obtaining their drivers’ license.
Also, 90% of motorcyclists on Nigerian roads did not undergo any formal
test. This, situation has given rise to many people driving without proper
skills. That
the wealth of evidence from the variety of International road safety
practices, medical, scientific and social research; and the support of those
involved in the issues around road safety make a strong case for the
following recommendations. LEGISLATIVE PROPOSALS FOR ROAD SAFETY ENHANCEMENT RECOMMENDATION/LEGISLATIVE
PROPOSALS FOR ROAD SAFETY ENHANCEMENT (1).
That corporate citizens of Nigeria especially those that contribute to
increased motorisation and road crashes through their products and services
be made to recognise road safety as a neglected social responsibility
deserving attention and as such, provide financial assistance to the FRSC or
get directly involved in road safety activities. (2).
That certain violations committed due to gross negligence or disregard of
fundamental road traffic rules should be treated as premeditated criminal
offences. These would include exceeding the speed limit and driving with
excess alcohol. (3).
That road safety be introduced in general studies of the University
undergraduate programmes and road safety research be encouraged in
postgraduate studies especially in areas of public health, engineering,
sociology and economics. (4).
That a road safety research centre be established for the purpose of
advancing road safety in Nigeria as contained in appendix
1 (5).
That road safety for children be made a priority in order to reduce the
number of child casualties. As such, necessary measures should be taken to
ensure the safety of children on their way to and from school and in the
immediate vicinity of schools. This requires amongst other things the
introduction of road safety in primary school curriculum and respect for
school buses/motorcycles. (6).
That the FRSC in partnership with NGOs and the Private sector provide a fast
and efficient network of Help Centres, equipped with ambulances and
co-ordinated by radio or mobile phones, as well as free emergency help-line
numbers for road traffic victims. (7).
That an FRSC policy provision be made for making compulsory every person
applying for a driving license to know how to behave in the event of road
crash as done in other countries. (8).
That Alcohol manufacturers be made to provide counter measures to balance
the effect of drinking and driving by significantly supporting the efforts
of the FRSC like their counterparts worldwide. In addition, buyer’s beware
information should be placed in major places where people consume alcohol. (9).
That a National Fund be established to assist road crash victims. The Fund
should be compulsorily financed by insurance companies, various tiers of
government, alcohol manufacturers and voluntary donations from banks,
individuals, international donor agencies and corporate Nigeria. (10).
That the procedures for the issuance of driving license be harmonised for
efficiency and the FRSC be empowered to test prospective drivers and issue
drivers license. Also, a two year graduated driver licence scheme be
introduced for new drivers while compulsory advanced drivers training
programme be introduced by the FRSC for commercial drivers. (11).
That safety audits be conducted on all major road schemes and that the
following be done i.
Road signs and markings are made a basic/automatic component of any road
construction/rehabilitation project. ii.
Road engineers should liaise with the FRSC and make effort to identify local
accident pattern. Also, road engineers should provide FRSC with strip maps
of project road to facilitate future accident location referencing. iii
Speed reduction measures should be implemented at locations where
rehabilitated roads transect villages. These locations should be identified
by the safety audit. iv
For tender pre-qualifications, all roadwork contractors must undergo short
(1-2 day) training course on traffic management by the FRSC. v. That technical assistance to FRSC patrols and first aid facilities on major highways be considered. PROPOSAL FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A ROAD SAFETY RESEARCH CENTRE This proposal recognises that there is a paucity of research on road safety despite the fact that there exist a range of organisations and individuals willing to carry out road safety research in Nigeria. Thus, Nigeria needs a Road Safety Research Centre, perhaps in a faculty of Engineering in a Nigerian University. The Centre should be given the mandate to conduct research on road safety preventive measures, identify the causes and formulate effective strategies to control problems relating to road crashes. The Centre should fulfill its research and consultancy functions through the collaboration of key researchers from Highway and Traffic Engineering at the Civil Engineering department and other researchers from disciplines such as mechanical engineering, economics, social science, communication, epidemiology and medicine. In addition, the Federal Road Safety Commission of Nigeria and agencies concerned with road safety should collaborate with the Centre. The centre should carry out research on other major fields such as road safety modeling and management, motorcycle conspicuity, motorcycle behaviour modifications, motorcycle helmets, vehicle safety, motorcycle injury control, accident costing, motorcycle facilities and standards, child safety, exposure control, fist help measures and pedestrian safety. Mission and Vision The Road Safety Research Centre, should aim to be an internationally recognised centre of excellence dedicated to the advancement of road safety, traffic engineering research for the benefit of humankind. The centre shall be funded from multiple sources which should include the private sector, international development agencies, government, NGOs, foundations, insurance and individuals with road safety interest. The mission of the centre should include: • To continuously conduct fundamental and applied research related to road safety in Nigeria and the African Continent. • To tackle problems as research questions and translate the research findings as policies, programmes and countermeasures. • Co-ordinate research activities on road safety to ensure that information and resources are used to the best advantage. Thus, the Centre should publish a yearly summary of road safety research in Nigeria and disseminate and share findings with communities around the globe. • The Centre should offer Road Safety Research Scholarships for Postgraduate candidates and fund training, education, overseas travel and attendance at conferences which are beneficial to road safety in Nigeria.
The sadness, deprivation and hardships that accidents bring to the families of those involved are the most powerful arguments in favour of the above proposal. We trust that our views and demands of so many people, representing jointly many millions of Nigerians will lead to a serious reduction of road danger and of so many needless deaths and injuries. We cannot do these without your help. Please send your views and ideas to legislativeproposal@patvora.org Please write your Federal representatives and tell them you would like a bill for Road Safety . Please click here to email your representatives about this. Or Write to your favourite media and let your voice be heard. Please click here to email your editor. Anyone who visits this site can inform others using the send to a friend link PATVORA action centre services rely on public support. If you wish to contribute to our efforts, then please mailto: info@patvora.org or patvoranig@yahoo.ca you may or call Ken on 080 23232328 to discuss how you can get involved.
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