MUST READ! Causes And Prevention of Road Accidents

The rate of accident Scene in Nigeria is becoming alarming. The rate recently increased last year and has continued to appreciate this this year.
This is overwhelming. Travelers can ataste to this.

This disaster has resulted in the deaths of many and permanent injury to others which is really bad as most of our roads are bad at the moment.
We therefore resort to helping ourselves. Below are the main causes of road accident and its prevention.

1. Over speeding
This is obviously one of the major cause of road accidents in Nigeria.
When you Over speed, you’re forcing an engine to go beyond its design limit, and the result is mostly catastrophic. 80% of the cases of road mishaps in Nigeria are as a result of reckless driving and over speeding. Some road users have formed the habit of over speeding each time they are on the road. Some believe in their ability to maneuver their way through difficult situations, while others believe in their vehicles ability to wriggle out of any danger. But these perceptions are not always correct.
According to the FRSC, 50% of road crashes in Nigeria are due to over speeding. Motorists should know that over speeding kills.

 2. Brake failure:
This is a very dangerous period when a vehicle fails to stop after the brake has been applied. This problem is familiar with the heavy-duty vehicles, though smaller vehicles are no exception.
To taclke this problem, make sure you carryout routine checks on your vehicles brake system before any movement.

3. Bad Weather:
If the weather is bad; especially during the rainy reason, road accidents may probably happen due to poor visibility and road slipperiness. Rain affects ability to see as well as vehicle traction.
To be on a safer side, don’t ever trust your wipers to do the job. If you happen to be driving and visibility is poor where you have no awareness of cars around you, it is better to park your vehicle till the weather improves.

4. Bad roads:
Nigeria government has failed to fix most roads in Nigeria which has caused so much pain to users. To this effect, Road users should also exercise caution when driving in danger spots like potholes ridden portions, sharp bends, erosion ridden roads, e.t.c.
To be on the safer side, don't drive at night.

 5. Bad driving habits:
It is important for road users to respect other road users be ensuring their driving is not only for their own safety, but for others. Adhere to all traffic rules and regulations for safety. Ignorance, lack of information and neglect of road safety in Nigeria laws has now made many preventable road carnages appear normal.
To prevent this, You are not on a race track and you are not the only one on the road, drive responsibly.

6. Stress:
This is mostly common among commercial drivers and drivers of Very Important Personalities (VIPs). These drivers are usually over worked and hardly observe rest which makes them to sleep on steering.
To prevent this, It is important for principals of such drivers to ensure that they observe maximum rest always, so that they can be refreshed and geared up for the next journey. You can't cheat nature.

To further help drivers, the Federal Road Safety Commission has listed out about 12 items every highway user must have. They are:
1. Warning triangle (c-caution)
2. Fire extinguisher
3. Jack
4. Spare tyre
5. First Aid kit
6. Wheel spanner
7. Water
8. Hydraulic
9. Transmission fluid
10. Torch light
11. Spare fan belt.
12. Razor Blade
One would wonder why 5 and 12 are inclusive. But a first aid is important in accident scenes.