Are You A Blind Driver?

Do you drive blind? Or are you a blind driver? This poser was my focus final week. I want to draw the curtain on this piece, hoping that I’ve succeeded in stirring the consciousness of some drivers, who, like me, profess one religion or the opposite. I’m not asking these rhetorical questions within the conventional sense.

Like I mentioned final week, I’m not asking if you’re blind or you’ve any impairment. Neither am I not speaking of the opposite two ideas of blind driving which incorporates driving with a blindfold as a workforce constructing expertise. Or the second which is the potential of driving with a visible impairment, and even blindness, with tailored car and coaching please. I’m speaking of driving disconnected from our non secular beliefs and religion.

Within the opening piece, I shared the ideas of many writers who eulogise the Christian and the Muslim religion. These writers I additionally talked about, determine the affect of each religion in moulding totally different aspects of society, fostering social cohesiveness, and a robust sense of neighborhood. Each faiths agree that they encourage the devoted to assist each other and observe charity.

The dominance of each faiths, I imagine, ought to translate to an unlimited technology of pious drivers whose driving displays non secular values. These drivers ought to usually emphasise respecting others and following security rules. Their virtues ought to embody being well mannered, affected person, and avoiding highway rage.

Regardless of these attributes, I typically drive in awe once I encounter drivers who profess these faiths. They drive blind as their religion doesn’t mirror of their driving. There’s a enormous disconnect between their religion and secure driving practices, which explains why the locations of worship rank excessive within the Corps’ goal centre for advocacy and enlightenment.

For the report, the Christian religion in Romans 13:1-7 admonishes believers to obey all authority within the land. My Muslim instructor and good friend lastly offered an equal provision within the Holy Koran, which I’m assured does the identical. My Muslim instructor instructed me that the Holy Quran, chapter 4:59, says, “O ye who’ve believed, obey Allah and obey His Messenger and the individuals of authority amongst you. And when you disagree over something, return the matter to Allah and His Messenger (Muhammad, pbuh? In case you actually imagine in Allah and the Final Day”.

Each faiths preach obedience to constituted authority, such because the Federal Highway Security Corps (FRSC), and, by extension, the provisions of the Nationwide Highway Visitors Rules. The rules comprise guidelines prohibiting driving towards visitors, not buckling up, extreme velocity, working visitors lights, utilizing a telephone whereas driving, overloading, and underage driving, amongst different visitors infractions.

But the extent of visitors infractions amazes even on Sundays and Fridays, that are worship days for each faiths, slightly than displaying piety in driving. Throughout festivities akin to Sallah, Christmas, and Easter, there are heightened driving infractions.

For years, I’ve day by day contemplated the query of Nigerian drivers’ non secular beliefs, regardless of their non secular inclinations. Throughout my profession, as acknowledged earlier, I used to be privileged to carry positions in Kaduna, Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, Imo State, Lagos, Plateau, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and Enugu. I used to be privileged to work together with all tribes, religions, lessons, and genders.

My deployment to Lagos, FCT, Abuja, Kaduna, Plateau, Owerri and Port Harcourt some years in the past additional provoked this burning thought, which compelled me to do a bit on driving in Lagos and Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital. In that piece, titled: “Between Lagos And Port Harcourt Driving”, I attempted to check driving in each cities with the conclusion that Port Harcourt driving was bizarre due to the growing visitors infractions and the absence of a robust construction to curb and to discourage these driving mannerisms that day by day takes the backyard out of the Metropolis.

I additionally mentioned in that piece that Port Harcourt, like typical Nigerian cities, boasts of quite a few locations of worship, particularly church buildings within the South, which adorn nearly each road, and mosques within the North, but day by day driving hardly ever reveals any type of piety.

Why would a driver who, no doubt, professes to know the Almighty God or Almighty Allah, not mirror his beliefs as highlighted when driving? Can we at the least begin by retaining worship days akin to Fridays and Sundays, and festivities actually holy by doing the best factor to save lots of lives? Can we expect critically about how our beliefs can inform our behaviour on the highway?

By the way, three occasions prompted me to do that piece, which had been within the cooler since, awaiting the best time to hit my web page. The primary occasion was a dialogue I had with my former employees, Officer Asuquo on the identical topic who was fast to look at that Nigerian drivers are non secular however not believers; which means that each one we do is to attend non secular programmes with out reflecting God’s teachings that dwells extra on humility and respect for the legislation of the land together with respect for visitors guidelines.

The second occasion occurred at Wazobia some years in the past, once I attended a reception held by Tommy, a media colleague whose spouse gave delivery to a set of triplets.

At that occasion, I used to be lucky to fulfill some Rivers State Funding Discussion board members who sought my tackle visitors in Port Harcourt.

I used to be delighted to tell them that visitors within the state capital will be tamed, because the Lagos State authorities has succeeded in deterring the typical Lagos driver from driving with impunity. I knowledgeable them of my proposed plan to see His Excellency, Governor Nyesom Wike, and canvass the pressing want for a state visitors company according to the Federal Highway Security Corps’ strategic purpose to collaborate with states on improved highway security administration.

The assembly, I instructed them, may even concentrate on the necessity to rid the roads of road buying and selling, which virtually eats off a part of the lanes, thus proscribing lanes to 1 in very busy roads throughout rush hours, the rampant incidence of overloading, unauthorised, and indiscriminate parking.

Different areas of dialogue will embody the absence of designated bus stops and parks or the absence of an company to implement utilization, the enforcement of minimal requirements for industrial autos to rid the state of rickety autos with damaged windshields, damaged head lamps, and worn-out tyres, and the necessity to relocate markets that adorn most streets, amongst different vices.

The consensus of those gents, whose names I did not seize, was that the angle which faith seeks to mould was the basis reason for visitors gridlocks in Port Harcourt and some other a part of the nation.

It is usually the basis reason for rising avoidable highway visitors crashes. One in every of them tasked me to do a radical undercover research/statement of the visitors points in locations like Rumuola, Slaughter, Peter Odili Highway, Rumuokoro ,NTA Highway, to say just a few.W

In response to them, these locations are the place industrial drivers have grow to be a nuisance and lords unto themselves, committing all types of visitors infractions with out worry of arrest. They provided to work with me and fast-track discussions with the governor to handle these points.

The third and final occasion occurred when, within the firm of some junior officers, we honoured the well being and security week of one of many oil firms in Rivers State. After the temporary security discuss, reactions dwelt on the identical driving mannerisms that the gents from the Rivers State Funding Discussion board had raised.

That’s the reason my focus is on the angle of the typical motorist regardless of the proliferation of locations of worship throughout the nation. Within the case of Port Harcourt, Lagos, or Abuja, I additionally marvel what affect the driving tradition of the oil firms has on basic driving habits.

It is because in all of those firms, “Security” is essential. Or have their operatives joined the craze? Whereas I fear, I’ll distinction motorists’ angle with ignorance as a result of angle is predominantly our bane. However when you ask the typical motorist, he would favor responsible ignorance for all of the crashes, the variety of deaths recorded on our roads, the accidents sustained, and gridlock.

Most would slightly push the blame to the federal government and its businesses. The personal automotive driver would blame the industrial driver, who would blame the personal automotive proprietor. The dad or mum who permits his 16-year-old son to drive would maintain the federal government liable for not cracking down on underage driving.

A licensed driver who indulges in extreme velocity would blame the Ministry of Works or FERMA for the crash, not his penchant for rushing, which is a violation of the legislation and important within the occasion of a crash.

Why does the typical motorist in Lagos, Port Harcourt, and different components of the nation violate laid-down visitors guidelines? Why do you suppose convoy drivers imagine they’re above the legislation that governs velocity, overtaking, and first rate driving? Why would such convoy drivers with VIPs and armed uniform personnel, whose arms are purchased with the taxpayer’s cash, bounce visitors lights and assault motorists for daring to query them? On the similar time, do authorities officers or crucial dignitaries preserve mute?

The identical dignitary whose life is as fragile as yours and mine? Why would a mom or a husband or each bounce into their automotive purchased for over 1,000,000 naira, strap themselves with a seat belt, but dump their pretty little one within the again seat of the automotive with none safety, even when all efforts are made to teach this similar dad or mum on the risks of their motion?