It was bound to happen, probably has been happening and we can expect many more unless something is done to prevent these accidents.  Since the SUV became the preferred vehicle of the newly rich in Nigeria, a must have for wannabes and the latest fashion accessory for every woman worth her salt in the perennial game of one-up-manship, the risk of accidents and threat to life and safety of road users has increased manifold.

Dr Alade Giwa who would have been 50 in April, a matter of weeks away, died because the driver of an SUV lost control of her vehicle and though it saddened me to read about it, I was not particularly surprised about the particulars of the accident as reported in the Metro section of the Guardian on Tuesday 7 March.

I do not know any of the people involved in the accident and little information was given about the driver beyond the fact that she was the beauty queen girlfriend of an artist. Only the day before this news report however, I was discussing Lagos women’s new penchant for sport utility vehicles with my daughter as one skidded into the filling station where we waited to fill up on petrol.

All of a sudden they are everywhere, women straining to get on or off these trucks masquerading as cars but determined to show their ‘power’ in very concrete terms. SUVs are not particularly friendly to women and I fail to see the attraction these monstrosities have for our women folk most of whom prefer the bigger ones.  Attempts at squashing their profile by manufacturers has not reduced the hulking presence of these trucks and I have concluded that they must be our expression of the power we think we have or that we want people to think we have for us to want them so bad, never mind the pretext that Nigerian roads are bad. Those who own these vehicles don’t live in areas with bad roads!

It has become a common sight on Lagos roads to see one of these hulking vehicles tail gating a smaller one as if the singular mission of the driver is to drive over it. Other road users should get off the road or risk being driven off, literally. The maniacal speed, the constant lane changes and the threatening swerves at smaller cars. The only people that drive more dangerously are siren blaring security details. 

Very few users of SUVs appreciate that the vehicles are not built for racing and can in fact become unstable at high speeds. But because they drive like cars, people erroneously underestimate the power of these heavy weight vehicles. Think however that if a car is a dangerous machine, then these trucks are even more so especially in the hands of incompetent drivers hoping to best Michael Schumacher on congested town roads.

The woman who lost control of her Jeep, as we call it hereabouts, and killed this husband and father of three will I suppose go to his family to say sorry and expect to be forgiven, probably claiming a lack of precognition. In Nigeria if you show remorse no matter how heinous the crime, you are forgiven and every thing is put down to the will of God. The perpetrator becomes a mere tool in the hands of the devil and should be pitied even more than the victim should.  If the victim chooses to bring the offender to book then they get accused of being unchristian, unforgiving. What if it was you people would ask would you not expect to be forgiven?

But should we be making excuses for foolish behaviour including dangerous driving especially when the consequences are fatal as in the case of poor Dr Alade Giwa. No responsible driver would take the risks that these impetuous drivers of SUVs take and imperil other road users knowing that in the event of an accident with all the gizmo accessories in the car and the sheer size of it they would be protected, escaping usually unscathed while others lose lives or become maimed. Have you ever watched some driver race across 3^rd Mainland Bridge and got a sense that s/he is not in control of that vehicle and that if spooked a lot of other cars would be drawn into an avoidable accident.

I was not there but I can imagine what may have happened having seen other near misses.  As drivers, men and women, we often forget that the fact of our newer looking car does not mean we can overtake on the left and then take an immediate right turn (and vice versa) while the other car is still going straight, without undesired consequences, no matter how skilled you are. This has become a typical move by drivers of jeeps (to be honest, by many drivers in Lagos even though the jeeps are more audacious in cutting other drivers off and do it often too) and because they are bigger they expect you to just stop or preferably take your canoe off the road like one popular adverts says.

All too often, I have had to slow down to let some driver pass who has got into an uninvited race with me. They want to know why your older deader car should be going so fast and if you think you have nerves of steel then they must prove they have some too. I am not alone in this, many other people have reported similar experiences. Disappointingly, more women have now joined the competition, many of our male coevals having given up driving to hired drivers while we, seeking to prove a point perhaps, still hog the steering wheel and go faster each day for all our lives are worth. We enjoy the thrill of driving high performance cars swerving in and out of traffic while we imagine that other drivers are looking on in admiration at what a woman is doing. My argument is that we should know better if the other drivers we seek to impress are just that, drivers.

I have nothing against women driving even trailer trucks or giant earthmovers if they wish. As long as a driver, male or female has full control of their machine and are considerate of other road users. So it is not a case of road envy, their truck is bigger than mine, no it is about safety for all road users irrespective of who wants to show off none existent driving skills. We all know that very few people (if any in the last 20 to 25 years) in Nigeria actually took a driving test, not to talk about passing one and to watch us drive it is easy to tell that we have no notion of what traffic codes are or that they even exist. The situation is not helped by the FRSC who make the code booklet available only as punishment for violations as ridiculous as not having a fire extinguisher in your car.

The woman here may not have been guilty of any of reckless driving, but she did suddenly come at Dr Giwa’s car at great speed, enough to climb on to it on impact and such that no one in the car saw her coming. She must have lost control of her jeep in the first instance to have veered across the median on to the other lane. Since the police did not come to the accident scene until they were sent for much later even though the accident occurred within shouting distance of the police post, they may not have been able to determine the actual cause of the accident or other contributing factors. Could the woman have been drunk or high on some drug? Was she just enjoying the thrill of going fast in a big car? Was she spooked by an okada possibly? Did she have a valid driver’s licence? Not that this counts for much in Nigeria but if people are going to be driving trucks around as cars is it not time that we make sure that they are properly skilled and licensed to drive such vehicles? By the way, what happened to the 100km/hour speed limit set by the Lagos State Government? I do not see many people keeping below this limit.

If the woman is found to be in violation of any number of traffic codes she would be guilty of manslaughter but are our systems established to ensure that that justice is wrought.  More so, if none of the events that led to the accident that she is getting blamed for here was any of her fault.  The real cause should be identified and the real offender brought to book so that she can be deservedly forgiven.

What I cannot live with is that she or the guilty party may get away with a mere slap on the wrist or not at all for a fatality that could have been avoided if only we would be thoughtful of other road users. We need a deterrent for reckless driving on our roads and offenders should not be allowed to get away.

Robot  Villager

# 1 ://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/images/stories/march2006/suv.It was bound to happen, probably has been happening and we can expect many more unless something is done to prevent these accidents. Since the SUV became the preferred vehicle of the newly rich in Nigeria, a must have for wannabes and the latest fashion accessory for every woman worth her salt in the perennial game of one-up-manship, the risk of accidents and threat to life and safety of road users has increased manifold....Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 10.03.2006 08:52

N.A.R.  Villager

# 2 Mutti, Another great one! But do you know that even here the US at a point most SUV drivers were women? The selling point here was that the cars provided more security and safety. But after the roll overs of the Ford Explorers and naturally the climbing prices of gas, the Female SUV craze has pipped low a bit, just a bit! Posted by N.A.R.| 10.03.2006 10:01

EezeeBee  Villager

# 3 Mutti, You display phenomenal writing abilities and have a remarkable penchant for capturing events and emotions and channeling them directly into my consciousness via the written word. Your article actually succeeded in transporting me momentarily into the midst of the kind of traffic you described, observing the excesses are errors of fellow drivers and I was reminded that many of today's younger drivers did NOT actually pass a driving test. I remember doing one, on the insistence of my father, and I believe I'm an altogether better driver for it. I had to memorize the contents of the road users manual, including the meanings of all the signs etc. Passing the driving test after that was particularly gratifying because I actually felt I KNEW what I was supposed to. Please keep it coming from the 'Homefront'! Posted by EezeeBee| 10.03.2006 10:06

Big-K  Villager

# 4 Mutti No doubt NVS has uncovered another STAR writer in you. Please keep these stories coming - you have me hooked already. I was in Naija last month was amazed at the sheer number of SUVs on the road. But SUV or no SUV, Nigerians are just some of the worst drivers on the planet. Unless something drastic is done(like recertifying every single driver) we may continue to lose minds like Dr Giwa. I can't wait to read your next piece Posted by Big-K| 10.03.2006 10:20

TASLIM

# 5 A Nice Piece. Sometimes I Wonder Why We Have More Accidents On Well Paved Roads Than The Untarred Roads In Nigeria. People Always Complain Of Bad Roads But What You Discover Is That Once The Roads Are Tarred, Especially In The Cities, They Become Race Tracks With Little Or No Respect For Highway Rules And Other Road Users. Hence The High Rate Of Accidents On Our Roads. It Also Appears That The Enforcement Agencies Are Either Fed Up Or Overwhelmed. Taslim Posted by TASLIM| 10.03.2006 11:36

Root

# 6 =TASLIM>A Nice Piece. Sometimes I Wonder Why We Have More Accidents On Well Paved Roads Than The Untarred Roads In Nigeria. People Always Complain Of Bad Roads But What You Discover Is That Once The Roads Are Tarred, Especially In The Cities, They Become Race Tracks With Little Or No Respect For Highway Rules And Other Road Users. Hence The High Rate Of Accidents On Our Roads. It Also Appears That The Enforcement Agencies Are Either Fed Up Or Overwhelmed. Taslim Taslim wake-up......U gotta be kiddin me..... where do u get your ideas from....For Godsake even chickens that died of Birdflu know Nigeria doesnt have the most Basic of records...?what makes u think potholes are not more of a recipe for accidents than tarred roads...? Sincerely do u think the records ,if at all any exists the government has of accidents(on untarred roads and tarred roads),drink and drive,e.t.c.....are realistic?u say the enforcement agents are overwhelmed..? do you mean overwhelmed with the money they get from collecting bribes(because they are not paid well by the government..?)... I have been reading your post and your consience is quite questionable because you seem not to look at issues from a broader Perspective..... Taslim Wake-up please... Posted by Root| 10.03.2006 12:40

emj  Villager

# 7 Congratulations Mutti, Your article mirrors what is happening on Nigerian roads, our people not just women love to drive suvs, they do not just drive to show that they have arrived, but most owners are reckless and are not literate enough to know that you don't swerve from lane to lane at top speed. They feel that because it is big, it is stable.Some of the suvs on recall by American Manufacturers are still on our roads. Our people just love jeeps(that's what they call suvs in Nigeria). The bigger the better. Most of them don't even read the vehincle manual. Most have no valid driver's license, and if they do, they did not go for a driver's test to get their license. Driving on Nigerian roads is one hell of a risk. Driving on Lagos roads, takes patience and prayers. Most of the drivers are reckless and have no respect for other road users. You daily encounter mad drivers on the road, most of the jeep drivers just want to run you off the road. Posted by emj| 10.03.2006 12:53

N.A.R.  Villager

# 8 Mutti, I have time for a more concise reply. Its Friday, and rather than go disco dancing or bubbling, I am in front of my kumputer…ha! Actually, your story could have been told in most cities in the United States, the only difference is the driver would have certainly faced the music! Now even though she may get a slap on the wrist, I hope the fact that she will now live with the guilt that she is a murderer for the rest for her life will hopefully make her think twice or thrice behind the wheel. The unfortunate fact is that America is already over the SUV craze, and now more efficient and smaller SUV’s are hitting the markets, in fact I believe Ford (or is it GMC) no longer makes its largest SUV, the Expedition I believe. The bad thing is that in order to clear their inventory, more of this mammoth SUV’s are likely to find themselves in countries like Nigeria where laws and no existent! I recall taking my drivers test in the sleep old town of Zaria, and watching the presentation with the road signs flashing by and having to memorize each one and get it correct. And the lecture from the Motor vehicle instructor. Men, even then when we though Naija don spoil, ah shey worse was on the way! And to echo Big-K, its really nice to read a break from the normal bashing about other event sin the daily life of Nigerians, you are doing a great job helping me shape the current society in Nigeria. Mucho Gracias! Posted by N.A.R.| 10.03.2006 19:11

Anike  Bibi ire: Agbe Gboko Rosu

# 9 Brilliant article. It does not only capture what is happening on Nigerian roads, but also warns road users, in and out of Nigeria, to be more cautious when behind or around the wheel. People just need to understand that there is nothing fashionable about being behind any kind of wheel if you are not going to be smart in handling the wheel. I don't care if you are a lady, a dwarf, a whatever, you just need to be sensible. When my father was teaching us how to drive and we would get behind the wheel and practically burn the accelerator or clutch (manual because it was back in Nigeria), he would remind us how he can get a huge rock, place it on the accelerator and achieve the same result if not better. But since we had common sense, he would tell us, he expected us to use it. We would all laugh at that but, come to think of it, that's the truth. People are not just considerate of others enough; both on and off the road. They just wanna cut in front of you without trafficating, speed up behind you as if they would drive over you and your car if you don't move, tailgate you and have their headlights on high beam...rudeness has no bounds. Within the last 30days, five people I know have been involved in auto accidents; two in Nigeria and three here. One of the five died in Nigeria, one died here, two made it out alive although one was in the hospital for roughly two weeks, one is still in a coma. I mean, waking up is a risk but why make it riskier? I feel like a hypocrite commenting on this as, more often than not, I am in so much hurry to get somewhere that I wind up going 15miles above the legalized speed limit i.e, leave my senses in my purse and use my crookedly legs to think. So, this is a wake-up call to me especially. Life is too short to even think to make it shorter by being stupid when I can just invest in less than five minutes of thinking to avoid the unexpected halt. If it means reorganizing my schedule to include time spent on the road. My brother was in my car the sometimes back, I was taking him to the airport and, in an attempt to get there in time for his flight, I was speeding. He said to me, "sister X, better late then late, you know?" And that's what people should remember when they have like something their trying to get to. And, of course, there are some who just feel like they have to prove to you how many seconds it takes their "babies" to reach the max possible speed. Or they just wanna show you "who is the man". Like anybody is interested in all that nonsense. Friday night driving in southbound 295, or Westbound I-80, is something I try to avoid as it seems like too many people are in a hurry to go "drop it like it's hot" to bother with petty things like road safety. On another note, I was just driving in this afternoon when I saw a man with his baby in her car seat. He was constantly looking at the baby in her car seat (i.e., in the back seat) and chatting with a baby that has no idea what the hell he was saying. I was going to just overtake him, pull over, and grab the baby out of the car. Like, "if you can't be sensible when you are by yourself, for God's sakes be sensible when you have a baby in the car". What's worse, he had no "baby on board" or any sort of poster on his car. I took a mental note of the car's stats incase a child turns out to be missing. No father should be that stupid. By and large, you've addressed a very important issue that is claiming more lives than necessary and I hope at least one person who reads this would start to consult with the rational side of their sense before attempting to turn on the ignition to...be it a trailer, a rolls royce, a beetle, heck! an okada, for God's sakes stay safe! I know I will. It's no point constituting my self as a threat to other road users. Posted by Anike| 10.03.2006 21:25

EezeeBee  Villager

# 10 How can you tell a Naija wo/man? They use the word 'trafficating'! :lol: @N.A.R. You did your test in Zaria? That was exactly where I did mine around Zaria Hotel area! That test and the 'drilling' by traffic officer will imbue you with a certain confidence that you might actually have a theoretical knowledge about driving, methods and signs to back up your physical driving skill! Man o man, it's a small world! I even remember that it was a requirement; You had to FIRST pass the signs and questioning test BEFORE you'd even be allowed to sit for the driving test. Actual proper procedures! Very interesting! Posted by EezeeBee| 11.03.2006 09:49

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