Transport Stakeholders Drum Support For Implementation Of Speed Limiter In Nigerian Vehicles

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Wednesday, March 9th, 2016

The need for necessary authorities in Nigeria to revisit issues surrounding the suspended implementation of the speed limiter installation for vehicles in the country has been advocated.

Chairman of the Petroleum Tankers’ Drivers (PTD) association, a subsidiary of the National Union of Petroleum & Natural Gas (NUPENG), Mr. Salimonu Oladiti made the advocacy after an emergency Executive meeting which reviewed the state of affairs with the nation’s roads, the lingering fuel scarcity, among other issues.

To this end, Oladiti appealed to the House of Representatives to reconsider its position on the implementation of the safety speed limiters on Nigerian highways originally scheduled for enforcement by the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) from April 1, 2016.

Oladiti said, “If you consider that the rate of road accidents which has now doubled over the last 3 years alone, it is largely occasioned by bad speed alone, then it is necessary for something drastic to be done. That is why FRSC, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) formerly National Automotive Council (NAC) and key stakeholders in the transportation industry embarked on a wide study, and eventually concluded on the suitability of speed limiter installation for our vehicles. We want the Honourable House members to show compassion for the carnage of human lives on our roads, and see to allowing this novel initiative work.

“Our members are breadwinners of their various homes and we have lost one too many, but some of them who have fitted the devices have been relaying their positive experiences in recent times”.

Similarly, the President of the Road Transport Employers of Nigeria (RTEAN), National Chairman of the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) – Alhaji Ibrahim Kassim Batiya and Lagos State Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) have also supported FRSC on speed limiter initiative.

Agbede said “what will be of good advantage to the people is always a good idea. For the fact that the speed limiter reduces accidents on our roads, the Union welcomes such idea”, adding, “We are the people always on the road, not someone else. We do not see any crime challenge that some people have cried out against this road safety initiative if indeed, road patrol on highway continues as the new government of change has begun implementing
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“There is device standardization already depending on the vehicle, and the FRSC will know if a substandard speed limiter device from unqualified installer is used or if anyone tries to use uncertified device in Nigeria. We are concerned as an association of road transport people and even as individuals, that we have lost too many lives on the road due to over speeding”.
The Union Leader added doubts have persisted about the ability of the speed limiter installation in-vehicle to further reduce road crashes, yet, studies have shown that since FRSC for instance enforced seat belts in vehicles and helmets in motorcycles, death risk has reduced by 61 per cent in vehicles and severity due to head injury has reduced by 70 per cent in motorcycles.

The General Manager of a Lagos based Construction Company; Mr Amara Nwokeji also expressed support for the speed limit device, as he indicated, it helped to reduce speed.

Nwokeji stated further, “we are already installing our trucks and other heavy duty vehicles in batches; we have analysed the average N30,000 to N40,000 per vehicle device and installation costs which will last 8years and more- it means N5,000 per year or N400 per month on annuity basis.

In arriving at the decision of speed limiter scheme for the public, the FRSC had involved NSE, NADDC and SON in qualifying credible private sector operators, some of them with foreign technical partners who are worth their salt having implemented same across countries in Europe, America, Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, for the April 1, 2016 enforcement date.

The enforcement is focused on commercial and heavy duty vehicles which studies have shown account for movements of larger people carrying capacity as well as cargo conveyance (valuable dry and wet cargoes). Reports have it that the FRSC had committed to at least 25 per cent reduction in the number of incidences of road crashes, and another 30 per cent reduction in casualties over the next year if the programme is allowed to sail through successfully.