Was That Fatal Crash An Accident?

‘Truck crushes nine family members while asleep’, was the headline that jolted me from the highly entertaining Manchester/Southampton match played on Thursday, January 16, 2025 at Old Trafford.
The story reveals that nine members of the family were in Okete community in the Ohimini local government area of Benue State.

They were not killed by terrorists. Not by bandits. Neither by kidnappers. These family members were not travelling. They were not driving. They were in the comfort of their homes enjoying their sleep. They were oblivious of the dangers lurking by living in a house situated by the road side.
These kinds of houses as well as markets are not meant to be sited where they are according to a report compiled and submitted by the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) to state governments to redress avoidable road crashes such as this. None, I am not wrong heeded the position of the corps to save innocent lives.
The family of nine were killed when a truck suffered brake failure, lost control and collided with the house situated by the road side. The crash is not the first. Neither will it be the last. I am not going to bore you with details for now. But if you travelled during the 2024 Christmas celebration, just reflect on the sights along our roads, our communities and your community and imagine how markets and communities litter and encroach into major roads.

Will you call that crash an accident? Were the probable causes beyond the driver? What was the state of the driver? What was the state of his vehicle? Did it meet the minimum mechanical standard? At what speed was the driver driving and what speed do you drive in built up areas despite the United Nations approved speed of 30km/ph to guard against such fatalities? Was the vehicle insured?

Will these victims get justice? How many have ever gotten justice for being killed in a road traffic crash? These are the burdens I have focused on since last week relying on the views and position of some road safety observers as well as charity groups such as Bridget Wall, a member of RoadPeace, East Anglia Group in the United Kingdom. I hope the NGOS will collaborate with FRSC Sheriff, Shehu Mohammed to make this happen.

RoadPeace is the national charity for road crash victims in the UK.The charity was founded by Brigitte Chaudhry, a bereaved mother whose son was killed by a red light offender. Since its formation in 1992, RoadPeace has provided support to people bereaved or injured in road collisions.

The group’s activities include supporting victims of road traffic crashes, campaigns for justice which is badly needed in Nigeria, campaigns to reduce dangers on the road as well as society’s tolerance of road deaths and injuries, and organises events such as the National Road Victim Month.

RoadPeace provides tools and resources such as shareable graphics for social media, offers services such as national helpline, as well as engage in evidence-based policy work to fight for justice for victims. In a nutshell, RoadPeace has been campaigning for legislative change and improved road safety practices. I am again sharing views from RoadPeace in changing terminology.

Bridget was once quoted as saying that, “people do not have any idea of how upset and offended we feel when we hear the ‘A’ (accident) word, which seems to be intentionally the devastation suffered by families of innocent loved ones, cruelly and needlessly killed or seriously injured in road traffic crashes caused by the criminal actions of another road user.

Road crashes such as the one that occurred in Benue State killing nine family members, are sudden violent events that devastate families for decades, if not permanently. Observers such as RoadPeace believe that it is only right that the feelings and wishes of those who have suffered as the result of road crashes are respected.

We opined that we should save ‘accident’ for spilled milk and minor occurrences, not for describing the leading cause of death and disability in the UK and across the globe as stated by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Terminology, they observe, is important, not only out of respect for the feelings of those affected, but as set out previously, to ensure that proper priority is given to reducing the risk of crashes and ensuring a fitting response to loss of life and quality of life.

They again clearly state as in the case cited that they were murdered or that it was only an ‘accident’ as often described by those charged with policing the roads to a bereaved mother, referring to the founder of RoadPeace whose only son was killed by an uninsured driver who had driven through red lights.

My question to you today again is, have you ever lost a loved one through a road traffic crash? Avoidable road traffic crash? A crash caused by a learner driver who has no business being on the road unless with a certified instructor? Not a husband or uncle who feels he is free and so can double as both uncle and instructor. A crash caused by a driver whose vehicle brakes failed due his deliberate negligence to do the right thing by fixing his vehicle.

Or a friend or neighbour who volunteers to offer a two-day training tips as a Good Samaritan? Or even a crash caused by a brake failure which obviously is the failure to keep to minimum safety standards. What of a crash caused by the recklessness of a convoy driver for refusing to drive by the rules of convoy driver? Or caused by the overzealous driver of a politician who feels he is driving a VIP?

I have been deliberate in asking these questions to show how we all trivialise matters regarding safety on the road and even the consequences that result. This blunder is not only by governments across the globe, but also by corporate organisation as well individuals.

Even players in the industry such as insurance companies, especially in our clime, play dumb to their corporate social responsibilities.

A few corporate organisations prioritise driving capacity building. They are bold to employ illiterates, and commit to their hands cars worth millions to drive. Even when the issue of training is considered, the drivers who are assigned to do all domestics such as conveying children to schools among others, do not deserve the right and standard training.

I do not wish to bore you with the causes of road traffic crashes. The causes of many crashes are well known. We know that there is an increased risk of a collision when drink driving or speeding are involved. There is distractions and possible collisions when we drive and use mobile phones at the same time. The same is the case when vehicles are not maintained.

Yet despite decades of enforcement and education, a handful of fatal crashes still involves a drink driver and twice as many fatal crashes involve excessive speeding. Others are attributable to brake failure, fatigue among others .While efforts have been doubled to reduce speeding, half of all drivers in the United Kingdom for instance, admit to breaking the 30mph speed limit.

In our clime, it is rare for drivers to own up to their errors unless when unveiled by the report of a crash investigation. According to RoadPeace, endemic is a more accurate description for speeding than is accidental. Fatigue contributes to a significant percentage of fatal crashes in both low and middle income countries. Yet, fatigue is a condition that comes on gradually and with clear warning signs, and so cannot be considered unexpected.